


Defense of Adigiar

by JakeReed



Category: RWBY
Genre: Action/Adventure, OC
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-23
Updated: 2018-08-13
Packaged: 2019-03-23 03:45:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 95,410
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13778964
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JakeReed/pseuds/JakeReed
Summary: Obviously, the students of Beacon are potential Huntsmen and Huntresses of the highest caliber. But what of those who could not make the entrance exams? What of those held back by tragedy, personal commitments, or a lack of means? This is their story! Follows a cast of original characters in Adigiar, a medium-sized city on the east coast of Vale.If you like it or have suggestions about how to improve my writing, please let me know! If you'd like to keep updated on new chapters, follow me on Twitter @JakeReedS





	1. Prologue

Reed held his staff ready, facing down a group of intermediate students across the mat, each of which held a staff to match his own. His five juniors looked nervous, but also determined as they fanned out to surround him. Taking a deep breath, he activated his semblance.

The group seemed to slow, careful movements suddenly looking exaggerated and foolish. Two exited his peripheral vision, but Reed tracked them by sound as they moved to take up positions behind him. This would have been difficult normally, but with time moving at half speed his brain had all the time it needed to make sense of the small noises.

A squeak came from behind, the sound of a foot twisting on the mat as its owner struck. Reed swung his staff in a vertical arc across his back, knocking the staff aside and sending its wielder stumbling in front of him. The boy almost regain his feet before Reed's staff lashed out, catching him behind one knee and sending him flying through the air towards his compatriots.

The students on either side spun out of the way, but the airborne student caught the one in the middle, and the pair fell in a tangle of limbs to the mat. Reed took two quick steps back so the three on their feet were all in front of him.

The three advanced in unison, attacking with a simultaneous attack to either side and down the middle. Reed stepped to the left, extending his staff to catch the blow coming to that side and directing it to clash with the middle opponent. His foot lashed out, slamming into the unfortunate students side with a flash of breaking aura.

"Murasaki, out."

His teacher's calm statement caused his opponents' faces to twist in anger and frustration. The pair began a flurry of attacks, which Reed redirected harmlessly into the space around him. He didn't move any faster with his semblance, but the time let him identify where each blow would land well before it approached him.

The girl on the left brought her staff down in a reckless overhand swing. Reed swayed to the side and extended in one movement, the end of his staff catching her square in the chest. She stumbled, and he spun to slam his staff into her partner's shoulder. He caught the boy's weak retaliatory swing in one hand, pulling the boy forward and slamming his knee into the boy's stomach.

"Glas, out."

Before Reed could finish the girl a grunt from behind brought his attention back to the first pair he had struck. They stood two paces behind, one swinging from low left and the other from high right. Reed pushed his staff into the mat and vaulted into the air. The blows struck his vertical staff, sending him spinning to the left. Reed turned into the momentum, bringing the short side of his staff around and into the girl's collar bone.

Landing with one foot behind the girl, Reed slid his staff into the inlet of her arm and twisted his upper body. She tripped over his extended leg and hit the mat hard with a flash of light.

"Melyn, out."

Reed turned and blocked a series of jabs from the remaining boy. His attacks were quick and weak, a distraction to buy time as the girl got to her feet. She ran the handful of paces towards them, adding stronger blows in an attempt to break his guard.

He waited until she presented an opening, a wide underhanded swing intended to knock his staff into the air. Swaying back, he caught her staff with his own and adjusted its trajectory so that it hit the boy across the face. With a tight spin, his staff lashed out like a whip to stop a hairs breadth from her temple.

"Sloven, Rouge, out. Victory goes to Reed."

"Sir, my aura hasn't broken yet," Rouge said through clenched teeth, hard eyes never wavering from Reed's.

His teacher sighed. "If that last blow had landed you would have had a concussion on top of a broken aura. Return to your exercises, the match is over."

Rogue looked like she wanted to argue but instead gave Reed a short bow, just enough to avoid getting assigned push-ups for disrespect. His teacher approached as the students began their daily drills.

"You did well, I'm sure you will have no problem with the Beacon entrance exam."

Reed smiled at his teacher. The elderly man had long, gray hair in a neat ponytail, the deep lines around his eyes and between his brows giving him a permanent look of kind consternation.

"To be fair, they only started last year. Rouge really is talented, she just lets her temper take control too easily." Reed looked at the staff in his hands, then let out a small sigh as he placed it back in a rack on the wall.

"So you say, but you were obviously expecting more of a challenge."

Reed shrugged. "Learning to fight a larger number of opponents is more practical at this point. The school tournaments and sparring have prepared me for one-on-one fighting, but I also want to be prepared if they have us fight Grimm."

Tanaka frowned. "I would like to say that they wouldn't set kids against a horde of Grimm, but I honestly can't. They change the exam every year, but it is always an intense trial designed to test strength, endurance, and problem solving. Have you been keeping up with your studies?"

"Yeah. I can identify the twenty most common variety of Grimm, their weaknesses, and their attack patterns. But I doubt even Beacon would set anything worse than an Ursa on untested students, even if most of them attended Haven."

A hint of bitterness must have crept into Reed's voice at the mention of the fighting prep school. His teacher grabbed him by the shoulders, meeting his gaze with a proud smile.

"The true definition of character is how one handles adversary, Reed. You may have been rejected by Haven, but you refused to take the easy path. You are no longer the spoiled brat that thought everything he wanted would be handed to him. You have worked with diligence since that day, becoming one of the finest pupils I have had the privilege of teaching. Hold your head high, the time for that effort to be rewarded is at hand."

Reed smiled and nodded. "Thank you, Tanaka. It would not have been possible without your guidance."

The sun was low on the horizon as Reed left the training hall. The single story building was surrounded by a bamboo garden, at the end of a peaceful cul-de-sac. A white hover-car glided down the street, pulling to a stop next to the curb in front of him. Printed in black on the car's side was an angular, many sided snowflake.

The door closest to Reed opened, revealing a man with slicked back hair and a wide, goofy grin. "Come on son, we are gonna be late! Those teachers at Beacon aren't gonna get their minds blown with you just standing there!"

"You're the one who is late, Dad," Reed said with a smile, climbing into the back seat and closing the door. "How was your trip?"

"It was excellent!" he exclaimed. "I told those damn aristocrats back in Atlas that the market for dust in the outlying villages of Vale was an untapped gem! I've already sold almost as much dust to them in the last three months as Beacon buys in a year! And at only a marginally higher shipping cost. Honestly, they think that just because the villages are small they don't matter, but I knew..."

His father's hands gestured wildly as he continued into the details of shipping patterns, contracts, and meetings. Reed smiled as he watched the city pass outside the window. His father may be an executive in a company with an elitist reputation, but he had made a name for himself making smart business decisions that also helped those normally under the company's radar.

The car pulled into the warehouse district, and Reed gave his father a questioning look. "Weren't we going to the air field?"

His father gave him a sheepish grin. "I was in such a hurry to come pick you up I forgot the tickets in my office."

"Of course you did," Reed said with a'sigh, his head shaking in resignation. "I told you I could go on my own, I know you're busy..."

His dad opened the door, stepping out and taking a key card from his back pocket.

"And miss my only son become a bad ass, monster fighting, savior of humanity? No chance! This will only take a minute, just stay in the car."

His father ran to the door, sliding the key into a slot next to the door. The door opened a crack, before the entire front of the building exploded into the street.


	2. Day 1

Reed could already tell that the captain in charge of training the new recruits was to be despised. A pompous man, he had a massive beer belly without the muscle to match. Reed could tell by the balance of his feet that this man was unfit for combat, and had probably never even faced anything more threatening than a Creeper.

In a town such as Adigiar, the Town Guard was largely ceremonial. The presence of the legendary Huntress Kiwidinek Kadir, who resided in a cabin in the nearby village of Tani, left the townspeople confident that they were safe from Grimm attack. This confidence in turn served to detract the creatures of darkness, who were attracted to fear. As such, the Town Guard mostly dealt with Creepers and the occasional juvenile Beowolf drawn to petty squabbles.

Recruits of the Town Guard were mostly those who hadn't yet figured out what they wanted to do in life. After a year or two most would grow tired of the militaristic life-style and would suddenly discover a passion, any passion, that got them out.

This left those without passion or ability to become senior members of the guard.

After an hour of listening to the man talk, Reed decided that he was also lacking in anything resembling intellect. He would repeat sentences, often leaving out words that made the sentences nonsensical, and explain the most basic concepts in lectures reaching up to twenty minutes in length. It took him that long to explain that Grimm were attracted to negative emotions, a concept taught to children in kindergarten.

Reed was standing with the other new recruits, twenty-five strong in five rows of five, in front of the stage the Captain strutted across. He recognized many of the less capable students from his high school class. Petty delinquents for the most part, one or two people who had taken to alcohol at too young of an age. And yet, even those whose intelligence he knew to be lacking were absolutely twitching with impatience at the Captain's speech.

Several people had tried to raise their hands or speak up in an attempt to move the speech along. Each had been met with a brisk comment along the lines of, "I have experience! What do you lack? Experience! You need experience, therefore learn from my experience so you can get experience!"

Reed, for his part, just waited for the nightmare to end. Hopefully when they got to drills he could display his competence and be transferred to a squad where he would actually learn something. Until then, he settled for imagining how easy "Captain Experience" would be to trip, pin, or flip with both hands tied behind Reed's back.

He was standing in the second to last row, and a tap on his shoulder brought his attention to the person standing directly behind him.

He turned and regarded the girl. She had neon-blue hair that hung just above her shoulders and wore a brown leather jacket, the sleeves rolled up, over a dark blue tank top. Her pants were worn black leather with what seemed an excessive amount of loops and clips, which were tucked into steel-toed leather boots.

Reed could feel his eyebrow lifting in surprise. It couldn't be more obvious that this girl didn't belong here. She stood with confidence, hands on her hips, and a look in her eyes that said when she talked, she expected people to listen. Compared to the slumped, slack-jawed idiots around them she stood out like a crow among sparrows.

The girl raised an eyebrow to match his own. "What the hell is with that look? You some kinda damn pervert or something, looking me up and down like that?"

Before Reed could respond to defend himself, she continued, "Whatever, get as much of an eyeful as you want. Just tell me if this is where the forge apprentices are meeting."

"No," Reed said in a hard voice, "The forge is in the basement. And I'm not…"

"Thanks," she said, cutting him off. She then turned to the stage and shouted, "Excuse me, Captain Dumbass? I seem to have wandered into the wrong room, so if you'll excuse me I will leave these poor miserable fools to your exhausting imbecilic speech and be on me way."

Reed couldn't help smiling at the flabbergasted look on the Captain's face as she sauntered from the room.

After much blustering, in which the Captain attempted in vain to regain respect from his recruits he had never had, he led them down the hall to the locker room. There they were each given a locker, and two of each 'one-size-fits-all' uniforms and training clothes. They were then told to change immediately into the latter, as their first spear lesson would happen in ten minutes.

Reed grinned in anticipation. Gun-spears were standard issue in the Town Guard, a weapon with a split spear head at the end of a long staff, with the barrel of a gun nestled snuggly between the split forward prongs.

The training outfit was slightly too large on Reed's frame of lean muscle, but cinches at the waist of the pants made sure they didn't fall off. By tucking the shirt into the waistband he ensured that the shirt wouldn't fly up around his head if he moved too quickly. After a couple of quick stance changes and jumps Reed was satisfied he could move easily enough.

After the allotted ten minutes were up Captain Dumbass, for the life of him Reed could not remember his actual name, returned to lead the recruits to the practice field. He fell into the back of the line while the Captain led the way, giving them another lecture on experience, how he had it and they didn't, blah blah blah.

They walked out a set of double glass doors onto a field, where twenty-four practice dummies were set up in a line. They were made of wooden cross pieces, with burlap sacks of straw for misshapen heads and bodies. Wooden practice spears leaned against their left arms.

For all the Captain's talk of experience, a younger officer was standing in front of the dummies. He was a bulky Faunus, the species of animal people that made up roughly a third of the city's population. The large, square, herbivorous teeth he flashed at them led Reed to believe he was a hippo Faunus. He held the heavy practice spear negligently in one hand, gripped near the end and yet perfectly level. Reed guessed he was more accustomed to wielding an over-sized bludgeoning weapon than a spear, but still he appeared much more adept than Reed would have expected from a member of the Town Guard.

"My name is Corporal Tamus," he said, in a voice so loud Reed was forcefully reminded of an avalanche of boulders plowing through a junkyard composed entirely of glass. "I was recently promoted from last year's group of recruits, and I've been tasked with teaching you all the basics of spear work. As long as you all try your best we will get along swimmingly."

He narrowed his eyes at the group of delinquents, who were making whispered jokes about the Faunus's unusual teeth. Tamus took one large stride, planting his front foot firmly on the ground and swinging the spear up and over his head. It crashed with a resound crack into the dirt between two of the offenders, raising a cloud of dust and a chorus of surprised yells, squeals really, from the rowdy group.

"If you don't," he resumed in his loud voice, as if nothing had happened, "Punishment will be swift, painful, and likely leave bruises through what pitiful Aura you newbies are capable of. Now everyone approach the dummy across from you and retrieve a spear. We will begin with the basic stance used for thrusting."

Most of the delinquents, obviously scared that the massive Corporal wouldn't aim for the ground next time, scurried to their dummies and snatched up their spears. Reed strode over to his, picked up the wooden pole, and weighed it in his hand.

Testing its balance, Reed grimaced at the obviously shoddy workmanship of the training tool. This was something to train absolute beginners in how to tell one end of a spear from another. It would be a pain to wield as efficiently as a perfectly balanced staff. Still, Reed decided he could make do.

Once the recruits stood in their original line, out of striking distance of the dummy, Tamus took his position in front of them. He set himself into a wide stance, left foot slightly extended in front, and hands gripped equidistantly from the center of the spear.

"Try your best to emulate this stance. I will give you a minute to look, then move among you correcting your form."

Reed took the stance, balanced evenly on the balls of his feet, spear in the ready position. Tamus moved down the line, correcting footwork and grip alike. His attention to footwork further proved himself in Reed's eyes, too many people took the power behind proper balance for granted.

The massive Corporal didn't even pause when he came to Reed, simply nodding in his direction and continuing on. After an extended period with the delinquents, one of which kept dropping his spear from nerves, he returned to his position facing the group.

"All right," he bellowed, "Now the basic thrust is a horizontal jab. Try not to let the tip dip up or down, imagine you are aiming for a Beowolf's naval. Take a big breath in, settle into your stance, and breathe out as you stab forward. Proper breathing will add as much power to your blows as any number of hours in the gym."

One of the delinquents snickered and said, "Why should I think about breathing? I just have to hit the target right?"

The poor guy quelled under the look Corporal Tamus leveled at him. Tamus walked over to the wall of the practice yard.

"This is what our know-it-all friend would have you do," Tamus said.

Taking a comically big breath he puffed up his cheeks and hit the wall with a thrust from his spear. It pinged harmlessly off the wall with a sharp retort of wood on stone.

"Now, this is what I am humbly asking you attempt, in an effort to make it so you will actually stand a chance against even the  _weakest_  creatures of Grimm."

The corporal took a long, measured breathe in, and explosively expelled it. The spear rocketed forward in a perfect thrust. A small explosion detonated, shards of rock flying from the point of impact. In Tamus's hands were the shattered remains of the practice spear, in front of him a hemisphere of rock had disappeared from the solid stone wall.

Reed smiled widely at the dumbfounded expressions on the delinquents' faces. He had written them off too quickly. They were  _excellent_  comic relief.

Tossing the broken haft of the spear to the ground, Tamus walked back to the recruits in strong, measured strides. "Now, begin practicing. And don't forget to breath."

This time the Corporal started with the delinquents. Despite his scolding he corrected them with kind words and exaggeratedly slow demonstrations. The other recruits began practicing as he made his way down the line.

Reed was perfectly bored out of his mind. Years of training put him well beyond the menial exercise. Again the Corporal passed him without comment, and upon reaching the end of the line returned to the front of the group.

"Alright, this is the absolute foundation of spear work, so we will practice it for the rest of the day. Approach your dummy and get a feel for what it's like to hit an actual object. If you still doubt my statement about breathing, try hitting it with and without proper breathing. I guarantee you will notice a significant difference, even at your current level."

The line of recruits approached the dummies, holding the practice spears with varying levels of confidence.

Reed decided it was time to showcase that he didn't belong with the beginners. He started bouncing on the balls of his feet, loosening up his muscles. He decided on a variation of the thrust that would give it enough power to knock the dummy clean off its stand. A simple twirl around and behind his back would do the trick.

During his preparation Reed sensed Captain Dumbass approach and stop directly behind him. Not particularly caring whether the rotund officer was present for his exposition or not, he started the twirl, spear wrapping smoothly around his back as it gained momentum.

Instinct warned Reed that a blow was approaching the nape of his neck. Rather than thrust the spear forward he tilted the tip down, the butt of the spear raising behind his neck and catching the menacing object with a sharp retort of wood on wood. Reed turned his head to see Captain Dumbass, eyes bulging in rage, clutching a wooden baton in swollen fingers.

"RECRUIT!" he bellowed, rage making his voice crack pathetically. "Listen to your instructor! You don't have the experience to improvise your own techniques! Until you have experience, listen to those that have experience and practice the drills we assign!"

Reed was getting really tired of the word 'experience'. Several of the other recruits were casting curious gazes in his direction, having missed the clash and wondering why the asinine man was yelling at Reed. Rather than respond to the man whose eyes were starting to resemble those of a frog Faunus, he turned to meet the gaze of Corporal Tamus.

There was a gleam of interest in the massive man's eyes, but he said "Listen to your commanding officer, boy. It never hurts to review the basics."

Reed sighed, but nodded. He turned his back on the fuming Captain and settled into a boring afternoon of thrusting into the dummy again and again. And again.

 

* * *

 

 

After several hours of spear training the new recruits were told to change into their uniforms and report to classroom four on the first floor.

"You will be instructed in what it means to be a part of the Town Guard," said Captain Dumbass, addressing them from the training grounds after Corporal Tamus had excused himself. "You are now part of a proud tradition, and that tradition dictates I give you my experience!"

Reed was happy just to be done with the repetitive drills, but many of the other recruits looked like they were exhausted from the simple exercise. Complaints were swapped about sore arms, sore feet, and sore hands. They had obviously never trained a day in their life.

He entered the locker room ahead of the lagging group of weary recruits, and was already changed and out the door before they had opened their locker. He strode quickly down the hall, a bleak affair of dark stone with doors lining both sides, until he found classroom four.

It was a lecture style classroom, with ascending rows of seat facing an old fashioned blackboard. Small windows set high above the seat allowed the afternoon sunlight to filter into the room, without adding the distraction of being able to watch people walk by outside. The door was set to the left of the lectern, and Reed decided to snag a seat on that side of the room so he could leave quickly at the end of what was sure to be a lengthy lecture. However, he was also not interested in being a part of the lecture, so he chose a seat in the fourth and final row.

The first of the other recruits to arrive was the group of delinquents. Five strong, three guys and two girls, they mostly had the look of people only able to exercise power in a group. The largest among them was a heavy set boy with the face of a child, but the body of a bear. His wispy blond hair curled over his forehead like a newborn. The two smaller guys were ratty, enjoying the power afforded them by the sheer hulking size of their companion. The smaller girl was whiplash thin, with lank black hair and way too much make-up. All in all, not an impressive bunch.

The final girl was different. She was tall, taller than Reed, and built of thick, solid muscle. Her short hair was a murderous red, and she had a look to her eyes that said she was accustomed to violence. Her knuckles would crack every time she clenched her fist, but the excessive movement in the swinging of her arms and shoulders implied a lack of formal training. A street fighter then, someone who learned to fight in the harshest environment possible. She could be dangerous.

The delinquents settled in the opposite back corner as Reed, seeming to take no notice of him. The rest of the class trickled in, and five minutes later Captain Dumbass sauntered in. He wrote something on the board, very slowly, and when he stepped away, Reed saw  _Captain Collins_  scrawled in messy letters across the board.

So that was his name.

"Alright recruits," he said, slapping one hand on his stomach as he talked, making it jiggle.

"This is the pattern your first few weeks will follow. Talks in the morning where I attempt to give you my experience. Weapons training until one, where you shall learn how to hold a spear. Finally, after a quick lunch break, lessons on the types of Grimm you are likely to see."

Reed settled into his seat with hooded eyes, resigning himself to the monotony. This was his life now, after all. At least for the hours of eight to five. He had other plans for that afternoon, which should prove to be much more entertaining.

 

* * *

 

 

The evening sun peaked out from above the tall buildings surrounding Reed as he walked quickly away from the source of his nine-hour torture. Wanting to sweat out some of his frustration, he decided to visit his teacher and have a sparring session. The elderly man would be teaching a class until half past six, which left Reed with enough time to go get some dinner.

Reed had lived in Adigiar all his life. Combine that with a habit of wandering the streets when frustrated or unable to sleep, and he had a pretty good mental map of the city. After walking a ways down the busy street the Town Guard headquarters was located on, Reed cut down a side alley lined with dumpsters to emerge onto a quiet side street. Small local businesses lined both sides of the two lane road, selling everything from clothes and accessories, to weapons, Dust, and ammunition.

Reed crossed the road after waiting for a single old car to trundle past and walked until he was outside Komodo Curry. It was a local mom and pop restaurant run by a family of Faunus that took after Komodo dragons. The middle aged woman behind the waitress podium looked up as the bell above the door jingled, and smiled when she saw who it was.

"Reed!" she exclaimed, her brief outburst letting a split, serpentine tongue snake momentarily between her lips. "It's been a while. I ran into your mom the other day at the grocery store, she said you just graduated."

Her eyes softened a little. "She also said you joined the Town Guard..."

Reed nodding, smiling at the concern in her voice. Reed's mom, as a chef, knew all the best local food spots, and they had been coming here as long as he could remember. Despite the animosity some people showed Faunus, Reed had grown up around them and knew them to be some of the best people he had ever met.

The woman's name was Melony, a kindly mother of a rambunctious five-year-old girl and devoted wife to the chef of the establishment, Menlo.

"Yeah, I did. It's just temporary though. I missed my chance to take the Beacon entrance exam last year due to..." his voice caught, and Melony put a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. He gave her a quick smile and finished with, "Well, suffice to say I just joined the guard so I could train for next year."

"Of course dear. Well, our best table is open, I'm assuming you want the usua-"

Her words were cut off by a squeal as a three-foot-tall blur of movement burst from the back room and tackled Reed's legs, gripping them in scaly talons. A tiny face peered up at him from under short, spiky black hair, as Melony's daughter, Katherine said excitedly, "Reed! Where have you been, you haven't come to visit us in forever!"

She released him, placing her hands on her hips, and said with a stern face, "I counted."

Reed laughed as he squatted in front of her and rubbed her head, her fake stern demeanor instantly dissolving into a fit of giggles.

"Sorry Kat." An ironic name for a lizard Faunus. "I've been busy. Would you like to sit with me while I eat?"

Her excitement returned and she practically started vibrating. "Actually I can't, I have to help daddy set up for the dinner rush!"

With that, she zipped away through the door into the kitchen. Reed laughed and seated himself at one of the tables in the back and out of the way.

He got his food in record time, they always made special accommodations for him. He had plenty of time, so he ate slowly, surfing the local news site on his scroll. He left at a quarter to six, waving to Melony, who was taking another table's order. As usual, they charged him only half price for his food. Also as usual, Reed left them a tip that covered the rest, and some extra.

Reed's dojo was only three blocks from Komodo Curry, so he still had some time. He stopped in front of the window of his favorite bookstore to see what new items they had in stock. He met the kindly gaze of the woman behind the counter and waved at her before continuing down the street.

Between Komodo Curry, The Booksellers, and his dojo, Reed had practically grown up on this one cozy side street. He always felt at peace here.

The road ended at a small Eastern style building in the middle of a bamboo garden. Its roof had a square top, sloping steadily down before curving up just a little at the bottom. Half cylinder shingles of a time-dulled red redirected the elements, while still allowing the heat from bodies hard at work to escape from the top. Paper screens lined the outside. Wooden shutters could be attached during times of bad weather, but the Adigiar summer was hot and dry, so it would probably be several months before they were necessary.

Deciding he could use the extra time to change into his Gi, Reed strode through the sliding paper screen door of the small, Eastern style building. Beyond the small entrance way a padded floor took up most of the building, where a group of a dozen beginners were paying their end of lesson respects to Reed's teacher.

Reed bowed to his teacher when he made eye contact, then slid into a small side room to change.

Once he was clothed in the loose breathable fabric of his traditional Gi, and his black cloth belt had been tied to keep it all together, he left the changing room. The line of beginners filed in, each nodding their respect in turn as they passed him.

Reed bowed once more as he took to the mat, bare feet enjoying the cool feel of the padding beneath him.

His sensei waited at the far end, knees tucked under him, and his expression warm and welcoming. He was an elderly man, with stark white hair in a long ponytail down his back and a close cropped beard to match. His dark complexion told of his desert nomad ancestry, and the nine red stripes on his black belt attested to a life-time devoted to the martial arts.

Reed knelt in front of him and bowed low, forehead touching the ground.

"Tanaka," he said simply, and his master inclined his head as well, though not nearly as deeply.

"Reed, it is good to see you. I had assumed that your induction into the Town Guard would keep you away for some time, it is wonderful to be mistaken."

His eyes crinkled as he smiled, though they had a gleam of curiosity in them. "Why is it that you are here? There wasn't an incident, I hope."

Deciding that the momentary confrontation with the Captain didn't count, Reed shook his head and explained that they had been let out early so the beginners could rest their muscles.

Tanaka laughed again and said, "So naturally you decided to come here. I take it the exercise was not up to your standards?"

Reed snorted, "Hardly, all we did was poke a bag of straw with a wooden stick for three hours. Honestly, it's almost impressive how inept some of them are."

"You forget that you too were a beginner once," Tanaka chided, causing Reed to avert his gaze. "Give them time, I'm sure there are some gems hidden among them."

Reed snorted again. "Either way," he said, "It doesn't really matter. I'm only there for a year, no point in getting too chummy with anyone."

Tanaka sighed. "A year is a long time, Reed, and precious in their limited quantity. You only have one life, might as well enjoy the now, even when the future is what you wish for."

Reed conceded the point with a small nod. Moving on to the point of his visit, he asked his teacher, "Might we have a sparring match? It feels wrong to have had a wooden pole in my hand for so long without wielding it in the fashion I was taught."

Tanaka smiled and nodded. He knew this was what the visit would come down to. He had been impressed when, four years ago, Reed had walked in with all the swagger he had previously shown gone. He had shuffled over to the older man, prostrated himself on the floor, and begged the teacher's forgiveness for his lax attitude and attendance. Since that day, he had been one of the most dedicated students Tanaka had had the pleasure of teaching, and it showed as his abilities quickly grew.

Grabbing two staffs from their rack on the wall Tanaka tossed one to Reed, and they took up positions in the middle of the room. As Reed prepared to activate his semblance, his teachers face grew serene, and he closed his eyes.

To someone else, this may have seemed an opening. Reed knew better. His teacher was showing him the utmost respect as an opponent by fighting with everything he had, including his own formidable semblance.

Reed felt the air tighten slightly around him. Old practitioners of his teacher's style were rumored to have the ability to literally sense their opponent, although this was largely due to extensive training of all of their physical senses.

For Tanaka, however, his semblance made this a reality. Through the molecules in the air he could feel every tiny vibration, every minuscule shift in balance or slight tensing of muscle.

His teacher never struck first. It was the motto he lived by. Therefore, it fell to Reed to initiate the duel.

Reed started spinning his staff, the wood quickly becoming a blur in his hands. When he felt he had reached the limit of his speed, Reed activated his semblance.

His body still moved the same speed, but time seemed to slow to half its normal pace. The staff now rotated in smooth, unhurried arcs as it passed from hand to hand. Reed egged it on faster still before spinning it behind his back and slipping it forward towards Tanaka's ribcage.

Tanaka's own staff swept up from its vertical position behind his back. It knocked Reed's staff harmlessly away, before beginning to gain speed in the master's own complicated set of twirls.

Reed recovered his staff's balance in time to catch a low blow aimed at his rib cage, left hand held high to keep Tanaka's staff from crashing painfully into Reed's right hand. Before Tanaka could recover Reed pushed the connected staffs up, making minor adjustments as he saw his master attempt to maneuver out of the sweep.

When both staffs were high in the air Reed stepped around, bringing the shorter end of his staff around for a jab at his teacher's exposed kidney. Tanaka's left hand released the staff and caught Reed's elbow before he could complete the motion, redirecting it across Tanaka's stomach so that Reed would unbalance as he overextended.

Seeing what was about to happen, Reed stepped around the older man with the momentum of his swing. Tanaka had let the staff slide behind him, protecting his back, so Reed chose to disengage and rolled away, coming back up in a ready stance as his teacher turned to face him.

The entire flurry of blows had lasted maybe five seconds, ten to Reed's distorted perception. He did not understand how the older man could move with that much speed and react that quickly with a semblance that only let him know the instant Reed decided to move. It had to be a life-time of experience and hard learned lessons.

They sparred in such a manor for the next hour, some of their exchanges lasting long minutes as wood cracked against wood again and again. Reed was bruised and battered, even through his Aura, from a dozen smacks and jabs to his ribs, legs, shoulders and back. His teacher remained untouched.

Panting, Reed held the staff in in one hand and across his back. He bowed low to his teacher, and said, "Thank you for the lesson teacher, as always. I hope to one day provide you with a match worthy of someone of your skill. I am afraid I must take my leave, I would rather be in as few pieces as possible tomorrow."

That drew a smile from his teacher, who imitated Reed's stance and bowed back. "You do yourself an injustice, Reed. You are as skilled a staff wielder as I have ever had the privilege of sparring with. Given time, you shall likely surpass even me. Until then, I look forward to our next match."

Reed returned his staff to its spot on the wall. He changed quickly back into his street clothes and headed out, bowing one final time at the door. It took him about twenty minutes to walk home, taking several alleys to cut off the areas that would be busy at this time of day.

Anxious to wash off the sweat from his sparring match, Reed climbed the stairs two at a time. After he had toweled off and changed into fresh clothes, Reed went to the window and threw it wide open.

The city wall was twenty feet away, a little used pedestrian road between it and the apartment complex. Reed retreated into the room and sat at his desk, thinking.

He knew he wouldn't be fighting Grimm for a while if he was restricted to the same pace as the other recruits. He had figured he would get some extra practice in by sneaking into the forest at night, but Reed hadn't thought that would be the only practice he would get.

However, there were several things he would have to do before he could go out into the forest alone.

He needed a real weapon. Reed could handle a Creeper or two with a normal staff, but it would probably break after more than that, and would be almost useless against a Beowolf.

Reed knew that a real Hunter's weapon would be far too expensive, even if he saved up every Lien he could for a year. The complicated combinations of melee weapons, guns, and Dust were only made by expert blacksmiths and Hunters, and as such they could practically name their price. However, after a month he could probably afford a simple metal staff, capable of at least bludgeoning a Grimm to death.

He grimaced at the barbaric solution. If he waited an extra two months, he could probably afford a staff with a single Dust slot.

Dust, the elements contained in physical form ready to be unleashed, were a common tool in the pocket of any Hunter. Wind, fire, ice, earth, lightning, gravity, the powers of nature able to be called on in an instant to devastating effect. Just as the types of dust were varied in power and ability, their application was only limited by the imagination of the user. Reed had seen a Hunter freeze a lake in the middle of the summer to provide a fun respite from the heat, or use earth to create a break and prevent a forest fire from spreading.

Then there were the tournaments. Hunters from around the world of Remnant would compete, using Dust in amazing combinations to amplify their fighting prowess.

Some applications were as simple as adding extra power to an attack by setting the weapon on fire. The best Hunters, however, could use dust in practically any way they saw fit. Creating slick patches of ice to cause an opponent to slip, creating a gale wind underneath them to add extra height to their jump, or combining elements to unleash devastating attacks sure to drain Aura in an instant. The applications were endless.

If he had to limit himself to one element, ice would be the most practical. Against a Beowolf it would limit its movement, allowing Reed to aim more easily for the weak points. It would also be useful against multiple Creepers, keep the majority immobilized and letting Reed dispatch them one at a time. But fire would deal a lot more damage, letting him end fights quickly.

For now, Reed decided to put the matter to the back of his mind. He had plenty of time to think about that before he would even be able to afford a weapon that could employ Dust. Noticing the late hour on his desktop display, Reed decided to call it a night. He stiffly climbed into bed, forcing his mind into a meditative state so that his racing thoughts wouldn't keep him awake through the night.


	3. The Forge Apprentice

The next week passed in much the same fashion as the first day. After a thirty-minute lecture on experience from Captain Collins, they would practice spear work with Corporal Tamus. Each day focused on a different basic technique, such as blocking with the haft, stepping into a thrust, and swinging the butt around for a horizontal strike. Afternoons were mostly a waste of time, in which the rotund buffoon would tell wild tales of fabricated adventures with little point, and would end with a bland statement such as "Just stab it." Reed spent every evening in the dojo sparring with his teacher, making sure that despite his dull curriculum he was keeping his fighting skills in top condition.

Recruits trained Monday through Saturday, and were given Sunday off to rest and take care of personal matters. Reed dedicated his day off to going to all the weapons and dust shops around Adigiar, trying to find the best deal he could on a staff. The results were disheartening.

Every shop had their own variation on a combat viable staff that allowed the employment of dust, and all were way out of his price range. Disheartened, Reed went to bed early that night, gloomily wondering how hard it would be to break into the Town Guard armory, and whether there would even be anything worth stealing there.

He supposed he could try and talk one of the forge apprentices into working with him, but that had its own set of complications. He had seen them eating lunch in the cafeteria, and as a group they were about as impressive as his fellow recruits. They complained constantly, most had been forced into it by parents, and obviously had little to no experience.

The blue-haired girl from his first day was always conspicuously absent from the cafeteria.

Monday morning, Reed received a pleasant surprise. The recruits filed into the training yard to find that the training dummies had been replaced with a line of targets, each made of concentric rings with a red bullseye in the middle. Gun-spears were lined in racks to the side, looking old and feeble, but at least free of rust.

"Today we start your real combat training," Corporal Tamus boomed, ground shaking under him as he strolled in front of the recruits. "Rather than training you in a rifle first, which has a stock and lets you look down the sights, we are moving straight to gun-spears. You must learn how to fire from your stances with good accuracy, and therefore rifle training would be of little practical purpose. Line up behind the line, but for The Hermit's sake do  _not_  point your spear at anyone else, just the targets."

Reed grabbed one of the weapons from the rack and inspected it. The tip was a simple, triangular point, semi-sharp along the edge, and missing a section from the middle where the gun barrel was inset into the top of the shaft. A long clip of single file bullets was slid into the butt of the weapon, unwieldy but manageable. The firing mechanism proved to be two buttons, one a third of the way down staff, another a similar distance from the end. This ensured that the weapon was unlikely to discharge unexpectedly, but also meant that it could only be fired from basic stances. Proof this was a weapon for unskilled infantry.

For the first time since joining the Town Guard, Reed was challenged by the day's exercise. He had fired rifles before, but like Tamus had said hip-firing from the tip of a melee weapon was completely different. The recoil threw the tip of the weapon up, making most of his shots hit in the outermost of the five rings of the target.

Using his semblance, Reed focused on feeling the spear buck in his hand and redirecting the recoil of the spear back instead of up, absorbing the shock with his whole body. By the end of the day he was pleased to see he was consistently hitting the bullseye or the ring around it.

Looking down the line, he saw varying degrees of success from the others. The large leader of the delinquents seemed to be having the best luck, other than himself. Her upper body and arms rocked with every shot, a less efficient distribution of recoil than Reed's own, but serving the same effect of keeping the tip from rising with every shot. Her bullets struck mostly the third and second ring of the target, one or two per clip landing in the center.

The other delinquents were having far less luck. The two scrawny boys appeared to be firing at random, some hitting their target, but most hitting the ground in front or the wall behind. The emaciated girl simply could not handle the recoil, every shot flying high, and the baby-faced giant was having trouble hitting the firing buttons at the same time.

After several days of target practice, they moved on to the more practical application of using the gun to add impact to close range thrusts. The practice dummies were brought back, and the recruits practiced stabbing into them with the point of the spear, then firing the gun to blow a hole through the burlap sacks. Reed quickly discovered that this was an excellent way to disengage and prepare another strike. The recoil served to rip the spearhead free of the target, returning the wielder to a starting position and doing damage at the same time.

Reed began to think about how he would use this utility in a staff. Tamus called the end of drills and the other recruits headed to the locker room. Reed held back, pretending to tie his shoe.

Starting with a simple figure eight spin he built the momentum of the spear and gave the dummy an experimental jab with the flat end of the spear. The dummy rocked back and forth under the blow, eventually swaying to a stop. Reed repeated the process and fired the gun just before hitting the dummy.

The amount of extra force behind the blow startled Reed. When the spear wasn't stationary, the power of the gun firing served to give it quite a bit of extra momentum, knocking the dummy's head clear off and into the far wall.

A low whistle behind him startled Reed, and he spun around, looking for its source. There appeared to be no one behind him, but a spot of bright blue in his peripheral vision drew his gaze upwards. The apprentice forger who had coined the term 'Captain Dumbass' was leaning out of a window high above the entrance to the locker room. She eyed him appraisingly, a small smirk on her mouth.

"I could tell you were better than the others," she said, "but damn, I figured you were just the shiniest of turds, pervert. Looks like you have some moderate amount of skill after all."

Reed sighed. Of course it had to be her.

"You really have no basis to call me that. Your outfit drew the eye, who wears that much leather? You run a cow farm or something?"

Her smirk spread into a lopsided smile. "Fiesty fucker, aintcha? Although you're hardly one to talk. I've seen you walk out of the building in your street clothes. Blue jeans and a cotton tee every day? You have no damn style whatsoever."

With that, she slid the window shut, cutting off the retort already on Reed's lips. He settled for throwing the spear forcefully onto the rack and stomping to the locker room.

 

* * *

 

 

Reed suffered through the rest of the day, his opinion of Captain Collins further diminishing when, attempting to make a joke, the rotund officer had said, "To hurt a Grimm, just tap it like your girlfriend." Reed highly doubted the man had every even  _had_  a girlfriend with that attitude.

When they were finally allowed to leave Reed left the Town Guard Headquarters, planning on following his normal after work routine of Komodo Curry and sparring practice. He was stopped short, however, when he turned down the ally and saw a colorful figure leaning against one wall.

The blue-haired girl looked up at the sound of his foot-steps. Reed recovered quickly from his surprise and met her gaze. "You call me a pervert, then corner me down an alley? Talk about a double standard."

She rolled her eyes at that, and said, "You are really fucking predictable, you know that? Every day you take a right immediately after leaving headquarters, and then another down this damn alley. Before today I had almost no interest in you, and I still noticed that much."

Reed raised an eyebrow at that, and replied, "So you  _were_  waiting for me."

The girl snorted. "Well at least you're not stupid." She straightened, putting her hands on her hips and stepping to block his path down the alleyway. "I have a business proposition for you. My fellow forge apprentices couldn't tell the sharp end of a gun spear if it was shoved up their ass. From your lethargic stabbings of the dummies during your drills, I would imagine you have a similar opinion of your fellow recruits. I grew up in a forge, frankly this type of menial labor is beneath me."

"If you grew up in a forge, why on earth would you apprentice at the town guard?"

"That's none of your damn business."

Reed just shrugged, having expected a harsh rebuke of some sort. She really wasn't an easy person to talk to.

"What I am proposing," she continued, "Is working with you to make a custom weapon. Something actually capable of taking down the creatures of Grimm, without relying on a line of stupid bastards stabbing in unison."

Reed froze at that, narrowing his eyes to regard her. Working with a forge apprentice would be faster than saving up for a staff, but she didn't seem the altruistic type.

"Why would you do that for me? I can't afford to pay you. Furthermore, why should I trust a stranger I've just met to construct a tool I would stake my life on? I don't know for a fact that you grew up in a forge, for all I know you're just a cocky apprentice who thinks she will be the next hot-shot weapon designer."

The girl looked thoughtful at that, putting a finger to her chin and staring at the sky. "I never really considered that you would do anything other than grovel in front of me and praise my generosity," she said, "You have more personality and self-respect than I expected. Fine, I propose a trade. I show you something that proves I know what I am doing, and in return you show me something that proves I won't be wasting my time making a Hunter caliber weapon for some rookie who happened to land a lucky shot on a practice dummy."

She stuck out her hand, "Deal?"

Reed stared at the hand, conflicted. What she was proposing was more than he could have hoped for, but could he really trust her? If he didn't, though, it could be months before he got a chance to practice fighting Grimm.

"Fine," he said, "But you first. You approached me after all."

"Whatever," she said, spinning around and marching down the alley, combat boots thudding solidly on the pavement. "My old man's forge is just a short distance from here."

At the end of the alley she looked over her shoulder. "I'm Phaedra Blau, by the way."

"Reed Aoki."

 

* * *

 

 

Reed stared up at the sign above the building in slight surprise. It was simple, large block letters spelling out  _Edmund Blau_ _'s Forge_. Edmund Blau was a local forger of some repute. His designs were simple, employing two dust slots max and only rarely incorporating a gun, but they were extremely well made. More traditional Hunters from around Remnant commissioned works from Edmund Blau, those that preferred to fight with combat skills honed from years of experience rather than relying on dust and ammunition, which could be exhausted on longer expeditions.

Phaedra smirked at him. "I see my claim is already starting to solidify in your mind. Still, no reason to assume I'm as good a forger as my old man. I'm actually  _much_  better. Come on in."

The room just past the front door was small and rectangular. A long counter stood out from the far wall, with two old cash registers set on it and racks of weapons behind it. The shop itself was quaint, Edmund Blau sold most of his weapons from other shops, and those that visited his were usually interested in custom orders.

Phaedra led him through a door to the side of the counter. Upon reaching it, Reed was hit with a blast of heat. On the other side was a much larger room containing all the necessities of making weapons. Three large coke pits took up the center of the room. Each one had a small and large anvil next to it, a water bucket for cooling metal, and a rack of tools. One entire wall was dedicated to materials, metal bars stacked in neat piles by type. The opposite wall had a couple of small boxes of ammunition and a bookshelf lined with dust crystals.

"Yo, I'm back," Phaedra said as she strolled through the door. "I brought someone from the Town Guard with me. Only one I could find with even a fucking ounce of potential."

Her 'old man' looked up from his place at one of the forges and gave Reed a welcoming smile. He was a short man, but massively proportioned, with tight bands of muscle from years of swinging heavy hammers. He was old, wrinkles and wispy white hair putting him around at least sixty-five or seventy. He left his work in the forge to heat as he approached Reed.

"Nice to meet you, young man. You must be something, my daughter rarely takes an interest in those she thinks aren't worth her time." He stuck out his hand, and Reed shook it, trying to suppress his excitement.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, sir. My name's Reed Aoki, I'm a recruit in the Town Guard. It's an honor to see your shop in person, I've admired your work for years."

He laughed at that and said, "Please, call me Edmund. I'm honored that you find my work that commendable, most people think my pieces lack style."

Reed shook his head. "I trained with the staff for years, I understand that simple doesn't necessarily mean inadequate. I've been admiring one of your staffs in a local shop for a while now. When I held it the balance was perfect, and despite being made of metal it was as light as a wood staff." Reed turned slightly away in embarrassment before continuing, "I've actually been saving up to purchase it."

Edmund grinned at that and slapped Reed on the shoulder. "Well, that's easy enough! I've got an entire rack of them in the front of the shop, feel free to grab one on your way out."

"Sir! I mean, Edmund, I appreciate your generosity but I could never accept. A craftsman should be paid for his work, and I will have enough to purchase my own in a few more months."

"Nonsense," said Edmund, waving his hand at Reed's refusal. "Use the money to get yourself a nice dust crystal. I've got more of those staffs than I know what to do with. Besides, if my daughter has decided that you are worth her time, I'm sure-"

"I said no such thing," Phaedra said hotly from the side. "I'm still not sure he is anything more than the only recruit who can tell his ass from his head."

Edmund continued as if he hadn't heard her. "I'm sure you will find that her own forging vastly exceeds my own. Now, if you will excuse me, that metal looks just about ready."

Nodding to Reed, he returned to the forge, taking the red hot metal from the coals and transferring it to an anvil, where he began shaping it with strong blows from a large hammer.

Reed returned his attention to Phaedra, who had her arms crossed and was tapping her foot impatiently. "You done hero-worshiping my old man? Good, let's go out back. We have a small training yard there for testing new weapons."

Through another door set in the back wall he stepped out into what looked like a miniature replica of the training field at the Town Guard Headquarters. It was about thirty feet by thirty feet, open at the top, with tall, scarred stone walls to keep any ammunition or dust from hitting any of the other buildings nearby. Phaedra walked to a long, narrow hut set against one of the walls and threw double doors wide to reveal a line of unique weapons.

"You said your preferred weapon is the staff," she mused, scanning the rack. She selected one weapon, and brought it over to Reed. It had a curving blade, about two feet long, extending straight out of a four-foot pole.

"This is of a rather simple design," she said, handing it to him, "But I would like to confirm that you aren't gonna cut your dick off before trusting you with anything too dangerous. Be careful of this switch," She pointed to a rectangular patch of wood a slightly different color than the rest. "It releases the blade on a chain hidden in the shaft. Push it forward to release the blade, and backwards to retract it. Let me set up some targets for you."

As Reed familiarized himself with the balance of the weapon Phaedra pulled some practice dummies from the corner into the center of the yard, setting them up in a ring fifteen feet wide. Reed was impressed. The staff was perfectly balanced, resting horizontal in his palm when it was gripped in the center. He pointed the tip at the ground and flipped the switch experimentally. The blade fell with a clatter. No extra propulsion, if he wanted the blade to go anywhere he would have to supply the momentum.

Phaedra, having set up eight dummies in a circle, retreated to one corner behind some sandbags. Reed snorted at that. Obviously not all of the weapons tested here had worked perfectly if they had fortifications set up.

He did a couple of quick hops on the balls of his feet to loosen his muscles, then stepped into the ring of dummies.

Reed started by standing in the exact center and whirling the staff in a simple pattern. When he was in striking distance of the first dummy, Reed unleashed a quick flurry of blows. The end of the staff came around and smacked the side of the dummy, causing it to rock. The instant the staff rebounded, Reed spun with the momentum and struck three times in quick succession with the point of the spear, one blow to the groin, chest, and head, leaving gaping holes bleeding straw in the burlap sacks. Finally, he spun the weapon behind his back and brought it slashing down at a diagonal, cleaving the dummy, support rod and all, from shoulder to hip.

Reed grinned.  _This_  is what he had wanted from the town guard. To be trained in a  _real_  weapon, one capable of cleaving an opponent in two or dismembering limbs.

He spun a couple of steps, landing between the next two dummies in the circle. He bounced the side of the staff against the head of one. Not a real attack, but a way for him to build momentum as he transferred the rebound into a spinning slash through the other dummy's neck, decapitating it. Sliding the bladed end around and behind his back, he jabbed the second dummy with the butt of the staff twice, once to knock it back, the second to snap the support firmly placed in the ground.

Blood rising, Reed planted the blade of the staff into the ground, launching himself into the air. With a twist of his body, he pulled the blade free from the dirt and spun the weapon in an arc towards the sky. He landed in a low stance, one leg bent beneath him, the other straight forward, and swung the staff down in a powerful arc. It whistled through the air, splitting the dummy in half from head to foot.

Springing to a standing position, Reed spun the staff in tighter and faster circles, stepping back into the middle of the ring. He spun the spear at shoulder height, parallel to the ground, and flipped the switch. The blade flew out from the force of the built up momentum. As it approached the first dummy in line Reed pulled on the staff to make sure the blade didn't travel too far. It sliced easily through the midsection of the first dummy, and Reed continued to make slight adjustments as it passed through the remaining three in line.

Reed hit the switch again, causing the blade to retract, and spun it over his head to keep the returning blade from stabbing him on the way back. It clicked into place, and Reed settled into a resting position, with the staff behind his back and the blade pointed towards the ground. The four dummies' upper bodies crashed to the ground.

Reed turned at the sound of footsteps, as Phaedra walked over to examine his handiwork. "Not bad," she said grudgingly. "This support beam is wood from the Emerald Forest treated to be as hard as steal, and you either slashed through or broke every one. Your weapon control is impressive, but let's put it to the true test."

She walked back to the weapons shed and threw the doors wide. She chose four from the rack, leaving a giant iron club and what looked like an executioner's ax behind. She then strolled to the end of the training yard opposite Reed and stabbed them into the ground.

"Alright," she said, drawing what looked like a perfect replica of the weapon Reed was wielding from the ground. "If you can beat me with that piece of shit I built when I was five, I will consider working with you."

"Do you have any combat experience?" Reed asked, unsure about fighting the petite girl. "I'm sure you are strong from working in a forge, but it takes more than strength to fight."

"I practice with weapons everyday so that I know what it's like to wield them. If you're too pussy-shit to attack a girl, allow me."

She sprung forward in a jab, which Reed easily deflected over his head by hitting the blade with an upward sweep of his staff. However, a sinister click warned him that the danger was not past, as the haft of the weapon in her hands split into three separate segments connected by chains.

Phaedra sneered at him, twitching the bottom third of the chain. The blade turned back towards Reed in the air, rocketing towards his back when Phaedra pulled sharply. He turned with the blade, allowing his aura to take the brunt of the hit, and grunting as he was thrown to the ground.

Reed rolled to his feet, activating his semblance. The blow had depleted a decent chunk of his Aura, and he didn't know what else the weapon was capable of. He would have to be more careful, he had clearly underestimated her.

He saw the next attack start as nothing more than a twitch in her right shoulder. She flung the bladed third at him, blade traveling straight for a jab at his chest. Already moving, Reed stepped forward, batting the blade aside, and jabbed her hard in the gut with the blunt end of his weapon.

Phaedra may have had practiced with the weapons, but she was unaccustomed to fighting an actual opponent. Her breathe whooshed out from her and she dropped her weapon as she flew five feet through the air before landing hard on her back.

Struggling to her feet and panting, she reached out and grabbed the next weapon in line. It was a mace, with a handle approximately two feet long and a head the size of a soccer ball. Reed noticed that the head had a handle built into the back. Phaedra gripped one hand on the long wood handle and the other gripped the back of the head.

Grinning, Phaedra set herself into a low stance, mace held parallel to the ground at waist height, and pointed the head at Reed. Recognizing the danger, Reed leapt forward in a roll as a deafening bang sounded in the training yard. He felt a few pieces of buckshot deflect off his Aura, another bang sounding as he bounced to his feet.

He noticed a small cloud of dust where Phaedra had been. A shadow moving across the ground gave him just enough warning to lift his staff in a horizontal block as Phaedra dropped out of the sky, swinging at Reed's head.

Reed caught the mace just below the head on his staff and angled the side without the blade towards the ground. Phaedra passed within inches of him, a startled look in her eye, as the mace head smacked into the ground with a resounding thud.

Reed spun the bladed end of his staff around and down, just below the head of the mace, separating it from the handle. Then he put a foot on Phaedra's chest and with a firm push kick launched her back and away. She sprawled again on the ground by her weapons hut.

"I have no qualms about fighting a girl, particularly one as aggressive as you," Reed said, as Phaedra struggled to her feet. "And I admit you are creative, but you have no formal training. Are you sure you want to keep going?"

Her answer was a snarl as she reached out for the massive iron club she had left in the shed. The top of its head was flat and shaped like a hexagon, the head tapering down to a handle with a ring on the end. She struggled to lift it from its place on the rack. When it was free it clanged loudly to the ground. Straining every muscle in her body, she pointed the head of the mace away from Reed.

There was a massive bang as Phaedra flew towards him, propelled by the canon ball that had fired from the flat end of the mace. She dragged on the handle as she approached him, using her weight and the momentum of the mace to swing it in a horizontal blow at Reed's side.

Reed's semblance allowed him to jump into the air a hair's breadth above the massive hunk of metal. He placed one hand on the top of it as he vaulted over, delivering a sweeping kick into Phaedra's side. She crashed again into the ground next to her last two weapons as Reed landed in a crouch, the giant mace skidding across the length of the yard and fetching up against the far wall.

Phaedra snatched up the last two weapons, a pair of wickedly curving daggers with knuckled hilts. The second she fastened her hands on the hilts a metallic rattling sounded from the finger rings and metal flowed over her hand. When it had stopped both hands were fully gauntleted in shining black metal. She held the knife of her left hand in a backwards grip in front of her, the knife in her right next to her head pointed straight at Reed.

Reed noticed with some apprehension that each finger of the left hand's gauntlets were glowing a different color, a clear sign of dust infusion. Not only that, her stance indicated a level of familiarity with the daggers that she hadn't shown with the other weapons. These were clearly her best and most used works.

She charged Reed, who started twirling his staff in preparation for using it in earnest. As she entered his range he swung the blade at her, aiming to slash her from left shoulder to right hip. Her left hand brought the dagger to meet the blade, and Reed noticed the red-glowing index finger tighten on the hilt. As the blades collided, there was a flash of red light and Reed felt his weapon rebound from the Fire assisted block. There was a report of gun fire from the right hand dagger, and it flew forward in a stab assisted by the gun concealed in the hilt.

Reed barely managed to move his head out of the way, blade passing inches from his left ear. He spun the hilt of his weapon into the ground and pushed off, retreating with a backwards leap from the furious onslaught. Phaedra gave him no reprieve, gripping her green middle finger tighter on the left hand dagger, causing a gale to explode from the blade. She spun with the force of the winds, approaching Reed in a cyclone of movement.

Reed swung the staff and activated the switch, aiming to wrap the chain around the spinning figure. A flash of blue came from the point where the chain touched her cyclone, and the blade on the end of his chain fell to the ground encased in ice. Even with his semblance, Reed couldn't avoid the hilt of the dagger as it slammed into the side of his head. He was thrown hard into the wall, barely managing to keep a hold of his weapon as he felt his Aura strain to protect him from the brutal strike.

Phaedra leapt at him, both weapons pointed at his chest. If that attack landed, Reed knew his Aura would shatter, and the contest would be lost. He had to remove those weapons from her grip. The gauntlets made it so he couldn't simple knock the daggers out of her hand, but maybe he could pull them off like a pair of gloves.

His right hand grabbed the chain on the ground, coiling it in his grip. As she plummeted out of the air he flipped up on his right hand and pushed off the ground, her blades passing through the space where he had just been. He aligned the coiled chain so that the daggers passed through it before sticking into the wall.

Twisting in the air, he pulled the staff so that the chain trailed over his left shoulder. The chain tightened around Phaedra's wrists, and Reed braced his back against the wall. He pushed as hard as he could, with his feet against her chest. With a small cry, Phaedra's hands came free of the gloves and she skid across the yard on her back.

He dropped to the ground with a groan and leaned against the wall, panting. He had competed in tournaments across Vale with some of the most talented young martial artists in the country, but he had never been so exhausted by a fight. The sheer tenacity of Phaedra's attacks and the varied tactics employed had made him fight with every ounce of physical and mental prowess he possessed.

Phaedra sat up and got to her feet, approaching the figure of Reed on the ground. She stood over him with her hands on her hips, and glared. "Man, that was pathetic, I actually almost beat you. Still, I guess you are the best I have to work with."

A glint entered her eyes. "I'm gonna work you to the  _fucking_  bone."


	4. Into the Woods

Reed and Phaedra decided to get something to eat while they discussed Reed's new weapon. Reed recommended Komodo Curry, wanting a hearty meal, and Phaedra agreed.

"I fucking  _love_  me some bomb ass curry," Phaedra said as they walked down the street, taking large strides. "There's nothing more rejuvenating after a long day of work."

"What does work entail for you?" Reed asked, the staff Edmund had insisted he take bouncing against his back in rhythm with his strides. "And speaking of what you do during the work day, why were you spying on me while we were training?"

"Oh, we do that every day," Phaedra responded nonchalantly. "The Forgemaster says it helps us to create a tool if we can see it in action. Stupid bastard, what good does it do us to watch a bunch of fucking toddlers learn how to not stab themselves?"

Reed suppressed a grin at that, reminded of his own previous musings during the drill sessions. "Yeah, it must bore you out of your mind to sit there and watch us for hours. You seem hyperactive, I bet you sit there twitching the entire time."

"I am not hyperactive!" Phaedra replied hotly. "I just have a great appreciation for not wasting my time on silly things like walking slowly or listening to retarded old men drone on about bullshit."

Reed let the topic drop. He wasn't sure how he felt about Phaedra. She was crazy, had the mouth of a sailor, was easy to anger, and scary when she was. But she was also honest, obviously cared a great deal for her old man, and the weapons she made were of a class fit for a Hunter. For now, Reed decided that he  _could_  at least work with her.

They arrived at Komodo Curry. Reed reached for the door, but Phaedra beat him to it. She held the door open, swept an imaginary hat off her head, and held the door open for him. "My lady," she said, lowering her head in a mocking bow. Reed rolled his eyes and, having no witty response, walked in the proffered door way.

The small restaurant was almost full, the dinner rush in full swing. Melony bustled over on hearing the bell above the door chime, split tongue between her teeth as she hurriedly scribbled an order in a small notebook.

"Welcome to Komodo Curry, how many of you will be dining this eveni- Oh Reed!" She did a double take on seeing Reed's companion, obviously surprised. "Who are- I mean, that is to say, I see you've brought a friend, Reed."

Reed smiled at her awkward fumbling. "This is Phaedra Blau," he said, upon which Phaedra repeated the sweeping bow she'd given him at the door. "She's an apprentice forger at the Town Guard, and we are working on a project together. Do you have any quieter seats available in the back?"

"Oh, yes yes of course, one just opened up." The doorbell chimed again as a rowdy group of four students, out for a night on the town, pushed their way in. "Oh dear. Reed, would you mind seating yourself? Tonight's just been insane."

"Of course not," Reed said, giving her a pat on the arm and sliding a menu from behind the waitress podium. He then led the way through the crowded restaurant to the back, where a small two-person table was the only available spot. They sat, and Reed slid the menu across to Phaedra.

"I see you come here often," she said, looking at the empty table in front of Reed.

"The Komodos are old family friends," Reed said, sliding into a relaxed lounging position in his seat. "I've been coming here since as far back as I can remember. They are good people, and the lady who greeted us has been friends with my mom since before I was born. They are technically the ones I would have gone to live with if anything had happened to-"

Reed stopped there, realizing he was rambling. "Well, I guess now is not the time for that story. You know what you want?"

"Yup!" Phaedra snapped the menu closed. "Killer Curry, spicy level: Fire-breathing Dragon."

Reed raised an eyebrow at that. "You sure you can handle that? They are required to give a disclaimer to non-reptilian Faunus customers, that dish has hospitalized several people."

A gleam entered Phaedra's eye. "Ooooh now that  _is_  exciting. I love spicy food, but have yet to find a place in this town that can provide me with anything worthy of the description. Bring it on!"

Reed sighed, fully expecting the worst. "Don't say I didn't warn you. I will go back to the kitchen and place our order. You want anything to drink?"

"Komodo Tea."

"Got it, be right back." Reed slipped out of his seat and made his way to the door behind the counter. He opened it, a wave of mixed scents, steam, and sizzling assaulting his senses. Menlo stood at one of the burners, tossing a dish of fried noodles, meat and vegetables.

"Menlo!" Reed said in a raised voice to make sure he was heard over the clamor.

The man at the stove turned and gave Reed a large smile. Menlo was a thin man, with balding gray hair and slit, reptilian eyes surrounded by scales. He had on a white, food splashed apron that said  _Curry my favor_ , which had been a present from Reed when he was ten.

"Reed! It's good to see you, I've been too busy to come out and say 'hi' the past couple times you visited." Menlo's voice was a quiet baritone, strong and gentle. He set the pan aside, coming over and clapping Reed on the shoulder. "The usual I presume?"

"Yes please," Reed replied. "Also, my friend would like the Killer Curry, fire-breathing level."

Menlo raised an eyebrow at that. "Made another reptilian friend I see? Careful, we might get jealous."

Laughing, Reed said, "Nope, she's actually human. She's insane, but I have a feeling she is up to the challenge."

Menlo's other eyebrow rose to meet the first. "Oh, on a date are we? Well why didn't you say so! I can arrange a tomato ornament in the shape of a heart, place a cucumber garland around the edge. What's her name? I can carve it into a slice of carrot or-"

"Whoa, whoa, hold up Menlo!" Reed exclaimed, waving his hands. "We are just working on a project for the Town Guard together. In fact, considering the beating I just received at her hand I don't know if I can even say she's a friend. I know you are a romantic, but please, just the normal spread."

"Oh, is that so?" Menlo sagged a little in disappointment. "She must be quite the fighter if she gave you a run for your money. Well, if you say so. But listen, Reed, you should consider getting out there and dating. I know becoming a Huntsman is all you think about, but you should still take the time to enjoy being a kid while you can."

"I will take that advice to heart," Reed said, giving Menlo a quick side-hug to avoid staining his shirt with food. Menlo patted his shoulder again, and returned to the stove. Reed headed out of the kitchen, grabbing two glasses of Komodo Tea from behind the counter.

Phaedra had pulled a pad of paper from her bag, a colorful array of pencils lined up next to it, and was scribbling furiously with her tongue between her teeth. Reed sat, and slid her tea across the table.

"What are you working on?" Reed asked, trying to get a better view. She turned the page as she finished whatever it was and set her pencil down.

"Just a couple of ideas I had for your weapon," She said, chewing on the end of the pencil. "But before I share them with you I want to hear what you are looking for."

Straight to the point, no messing around with pleasantries. Reed had to admit that he liked that. "Well," he said, sitting back contemplatively, "Before today I just assumed I would use a staff with one or two dust crystals. However, that weapon of yours opened my eyes to the possibilities of fighting with a blade. If I were fighting a Beowolf I would like the ability to dismember it, making steady progress on wearing it down rather than just bludgeoning it to death."

"Good," she said, tapping the pencil on the table, "If all you wanted was a staff, I would have just told you to take the one my old man gave you and get lost. What were your other thoughts on the weapon you tested?"

"The blade on the chain certainly gave me more range," Reed continued, thinking back, "But once it was extended I was extremely limited in how I could wield the staff. If I had tried to do a vertical spin, say to deflect an oncoming attack, the blade would have stuck in the ground. I just don't think it's viable for how I was taught to wield a staff."

Phaedra nodded at that and began to scribble some notes. "Alright, so something that can be wielded like a staff, with a fixed blade rather than one that can detach. I noticed that, despite your admittedly impressive control of the weapon, you never went above a certain speed. Is there a reason for that?"

Reed shrugged. "My semblance is the ability to slow my perception of the world. Everything seems to move in slow motion, so I can notice when the staff is starting to slip out of balance and correct it. My body still moves at the same speed, however, so the speed I wield a staff is limited by how fast I am physically capable of making it go, not my ability to control it at greater speeds."

"Interesting," Phaedra said, continuing to write, "Well that certainly explains how you were able to adjust so quickly in our fight, despite your classical training. There is definitely something there, I will have to think on it. Maybe some sort of propulsion based on dust or ammunition. As for the base weapon," She flipped several pages back and slid a sketch over to him, "What do you think of this?"

The drawing depicted a staff, the normal diameter in the middle, with two slightly larger cylinders on either end. A close up of one of the cylinders showed a concave ax blade hidden in the tube, and another sketch showed that when it was full extended a spear head jutted out of the top. A spur stuck out the other side, giving it the appearance of a Halberd, an ancient anti-cavalry weapon.

Reed liked it, but he could see one flaw. "Won't it be unbalanced if it only has a blade on one end?" He asked. Phaedra snorted.

"Please, I could make it balanced if it had a mace head on one end. However," here she pointed at the sketch of the bottom cylinder, "I was thinking the bottom end could be capped with metal. We could always attach a second blade there, if you prefer, but I think it would be more prudent to have a bludgeoning option. A dust crystal could be equipped there for more power, or to freeze an enemy in place, giving you more options in a fight against a larger group. Plus, it will probably take you a while to adjust to using a bladed weapon as instinctively as a staff, so this will give you a sense of familiarity even when the blade is extended."

Reed nodded, satisfied. It was a very good start.

"I have to say, I am impressed," He said grudgingly, handing the notepad back to her. "You must have been analyzing my style the whole time we were fighting, and were able to pick out my strengths and weaknesses. I was having a hard enough time just keeping you from killing me."

"It makes it easy that you are trained in a specific martial art," She said, taking her note pad back. "I've watched enough practitioners to know their general style, although at least your semblance gives you room to improvise. That will give us much more interesting possibilities."

It was here that their food arrived, and conversation halted as they tucked in, both devouring their food ravenously. Phaedra attacked her food like someone who hadn't eaten in a week, not even breaking a sweat from the dangerously spicy curry.

Ten minutes later she sat back with a satisfied sigh, plate completely clean. "Aaah, that was fucking  _fantastic_ ," she said happily, finishing her tea as she reclined in her seat. Melony came over with two more teas and set them on the table.

"How was your meal?" She said, addressing Phaedra.

"Most places don't have the balls to serve curry that spicy," Phaedra replied, earning a startled look from Melony at her crass word choice. "Damn good meal, I will definitely be coming here more often."

"Well," said Melony, recovering quickly, "Any friend of Reed's is a friend of ours. We hope to see the two of you here more often. It's nice to see Reed with a female companion."

Melony cleared the plates as Phaedra smirked at Reed. "So I'm a female companion now, huh?"

Reed shrugged and started on the second tea. "They seem to think I need to date more, and anytime I have the slightest contact with a girl push me to make it romantic. I explained that we are just working on a project together, but they only hear what they want to." He grimaced slightly. "I hope they don't mention it to Mom, she will go ballistic if she thinks I am dating and didn't tell her."

Phaedra smiled widely, a devious grin on her face, and said in a carrying voice, "Oh Reed you are just so charming! How could I possibly say no? Yes, yes, a thousand times yes, I would love to go back to your place tonight!"

Choking on his tea, Reed spluttered. "Hey, don't give them the wrong idea!" he groaned when he saw Melony's look of astonishment at the front counter. "Great, I hope you are happy in the knowledge that this misunderstanding will take at least a week to clear up."

"Quite happy," she replied, laughing at him as he mopped up the remainder of his tea from the table. She finished her own and reached into her wallet, smacking a stack of Lien onto the table. "I'm sure the fact that I am paying for your meal will make it all the more scandalous."

Reed protested vehemently, but to no avail. She even left enough to pay for the whole meal, plus a generous tip, despite the fact that the check was half of what it should have been. They left, Reed waving awkwardly at Melony as they passed. He would have to call his mom tomorrow to explain what had happened before she ran into Melony.

 

* * *

 

 

Reed and Phaedra split up outside of the restaurant. She wanted to get started on the shaft of the Halberd tonight, and Reed wanted to pick up a dust crystal for the staff before heading home. As he walked down the street, his embarrassment from the scene at Komodo Curry changed to excitement. He had a weapon, which meant he could finally spend a night  _outside_  the walls.

The dust shop was a small, local establishment, run by the same old woman that Reed had seen behind the counter since he was a child. He had just enough Lien to afford a crystal that would fit the staff, the smallest, standardized cut size. Reed decided that Ice would be the easiest to work with at first, and would also give him the option to retreat if things got too sticky.

He returned to his apartment and stood by the window to observe the rotations of the night-guard on the wall below. A pair of guards walked by every five-minutes, and were out of sight within two. Another minute would pass before the next pair came into view, giving him that much time to slip out over the wall without being seen. The twenty-foot drop to the ground from the top of the wall wouldn't be a problem if he rolled with the impact, and the ten-foot drop to the wall itself presented no problems whatsoever.

Reed installed the ice crystal, giving the staff an experimental swing to make sure it was secure. He then slid the window open and waited for the guards currently on the wall to pass out of sight.

Planting one foot on the window sill Reed leapt from his room, wind pulling on his hair. He landed on the wall in a crouch, checking that no one had seen him. He pushed to his feet and vaulted over the low battlement, rolling as he hit the ground outside the wall. He waited until he heard the next patrol pass overhead before sprinting to the edge of the woods a quarter mile away.

Once he reached the woods and heard no sound of alarm he relaxed and his mouth spread in a small, grim smile. He had waited for this moment for so long, now he could  _finally_  start working towards becoming a Huntsman. He took a minute to locate the position of the moon in the sky. It had been partially destroyed in an event lost to time, and the crumbling quarter pointed directly to the city. As long as Reed didn't spend too long in the woods, he would easily be able to find his way back using the moon as a guide.

Satisfied that he wouldn't get lost, Reed strolled into the forest, looking for any sign of Grimm passing. After half an hour he found a set of tracks. Two sets of clawed footprints flanked a line of indented dirt, as if something heavy had been dragged across the ground.

Creeper tracks, perfect.

Reed followed the tracks as they moved through the forest, parallel to the line that marked the end of the trees. It was circling the city, the Grimm must have been attracted to some disturbance in another part of town. After half an hour he came across a clearing and squatted at the tree-line to take stock of his surroundings.

A single Creeper was wandering aimlessly around the clearing. Like all Creatures of Grimm its body was the deepest black. A bone white mask encircled its reptilian head, dull red markings on the mask only accenting the evil red glow shining from the eye holes. It was about three feet tall, with powerful front forelimbs ending in wickedly clawed paws. The back of its body tapered down into a short, thick tail, which Reed knew could be used to whip the creature around in the blink of an eye. Three low rows of bone-white spikes lined its back, their short length marking this Creeper as a juvenile.

It was the ideal first target. Creepers were some of the weakest Grimm, but they were still more than capable of causing damage or death to any unprepared human or Faunus walking the woods alone. Good thing Reed was not unprepared.

Reed stepped out of the trees and the Creeper immediately oriented on him. He activated his semblance as it let out a malicious hiss and launched itself at him without any hesitation. The Creeper flew across the ground, aiming to rip apart his legs. When it was less than two feet away, Reed side stepped and smacked it a stunning blow across the side of the head. Momentum redirected, it veered and crashed into a tree on the edge of the clearing.

Reed stumbled, momentarily taken off-balance by the sheer weight of the creature. Despite its short stature, it easily weighed as much as Reed himself. He settled into a low stance, twirling the staff for momentum as the Grimm turned and charged him again. This time, rather than redirect the Creeper, he sought to make it less maneuverable. He side stepped again, this time landing two quick blows to the creatures left leg.

A satisfying crunch and howl of pain told Reed he had accomplished his goal. The creature balanced awkwardly on one leg and hopped to try and face Reed again. He didn't give it the chance, stepping in and sending a powerful over-head blow at the creature's head with the dust-equipped end of the staff.

Ice blossomed in a flower, encasing the creature's front half and causing the tail to twitch violently. Reed brought the staff up with the momentum of the blow, spinning it up and around his back before swinging it in a powerful horizontal slash at the ice-encased head.

The ice shattered, along with the entire front half of the Creeper. The twitching tail dissolved into black mist as Reed went down on one knee, panting slightly. The physical exertion hadn't tired him too much, but the adrenaline of fighting something actually trying to kill him was intense. Still, he grinned manically. His first Grimm. He had just slain his first Grimm!

His elation was short lived. A rustle at the edge of the woods made him look up, as two more Creepers entered the clearing. He cursed softly, berating himself. He should have remembered that Creepers rarely traveled alone, preferring to hunt in packs of at least two or three. He hauled himself back to his feet, glad he hadn't deactivated his semblance, as the two Grimm charged him.

They were side-by-side, so a step to the side or a redirect would be difficult. Instead, Reed waited until they were almost upon him and slammed the dust equipped end of the staff down onto the creature on the right. Reed pushed off the staff, vaulting up and over the charging Grimm as ice encased it.

The tail of the trapped Creeper thrashed wildly, but for the moment it was contained, so Reed turned to face the second Grimm. He grunted in surprise when a clawed paw caught him in the side, causing him to stagger. The creature landed behind him, and launched another attack at his back.

His Aura prevented any serious injury, but the sheer speed of the creature had caught him off guard. Reed berated himself for not locating the creature while he was still airborne, and spun his staff to block the blow aimed at his back. Ice blossomed on the Creeper's arm, and the momentum of the strike caused it to spin away, dragged by the weight of the ice. Reed spun the staff to full speed and hammered blow after blow into the creatures back. White spikes snapped and the creature's thrashing slowed. Finally, Reed spun an underhand blow into the creature's chin, and the head snapped back with a crack.

When Reed saw it start to dissolve, he returned his attention to the Grimm he had previously trapped. A sharp retort signaled its escape from the ice. It launched itself at Reed again, its body becoming airborne as it aimed at his face.

An idea forming in Reed's mind, he planted one end of the staff into the ground, and centered the other on the creature's chest. It struck, the grounded end of the staff digging into the dirt, and was vaulted over Reed to smack into the thick trunk of a tree.

As it collapsed on the ground, Reed got a running start, staff swinging in a fast circle on his right side. As the Grimm recovered, Reed stepped to its right, spun his left leg out in front of him, and brought the staff in a full circle around his body. The end of the staff struck the side of the Grimm's head, trapping it between the staff and the tree. Its head exploded into mist from the force of the blow, its body shortly following suit.

Reed remained tense for a long minute, making sure no other Grimm were in the vicinity. When none emerged, he breathed a sigh of relief and deactivated his semblance. It was exhausting using it for that long, he would have to work on extending the amount of time he could keep it active. Reorienting on the moon, Reed made his way back to the city. He had had enough excitement for one night.

 

* * *

 

 

Reed sat alone at the back of the dining hall during his lunch break, picking at the bland cafeteria food. He was exhausted, having spent the last three nights in the woods tracking and fighting Grimm. He had yet to encounter anything more dangerous than a Creeper, but the night before he had been ambushed by five of them, and they were more than dangerous enough in those numbers. Before finishing off the last one, his Aura had shattered from the cumulative blows he had been unable to deflect or avoid. He had received a relatively deep slash to his shoulder from the last Creeper, and had been forced to run back to town after dispatching it.

Reed hadn't seen Phaedra since the night he had received his staff, and jumped when she dropped her plate in the spot directly across from him and flopped into the vacant seat.

"Fuck, I'm beat," she said, laying her head back and staring at the ceiling. She had forgone her usual attire. Instead, she was wearing a no-nonsense leather apron over a black, fitted tank top and green cargo pants. Her hair was pulled back in a tight pony tail, and it and her face were stained with smoke and ash. Her muscular arms were bare to the shoulder, and her blue eyes were tinged with the red of exhaustion.

"I've been up late every night working on a prototype of the weapon," She continued, dropping her gaze to glare at someone across the hall, "And then that dip-shit, waste of space instructor decided to have us all shovel coke for the blast furnace as some sort of stupid fucking training exercise."

She turned to look at Reed, and raised an eyebrow at his haggard appearance. "What the hell, you look as bad I feel. What's wrong, Town Guard a little tougher than you thought?" She smirked at Reed.

Heat rising at the jibe, Reed replied, "I've been having my own share of sleepless nights, I'll have you know."

Her grin widened maliciously, obviously enjoying the prospect of heckling him in his exhausted state. "Well I feel bad for whatever poor girl you convinced to let into their bed. From the look of you, I am guessing you don't have much experience, and I bet you're a truly  _lousy_  lay."

Groaning, Reed replied, "Do you have to take everything to some demeaning sexual extent? That's not why I am tired, I've just spent the last several nights out in the woods."

Reed had the satisfaction of seeing her start at that. Her eyes lost their joking edge. "Are you serious?"

When he nodded, she sat back, appraising him as if she had just truly met him. "You have more drive than I would have given you credit for," she said. "I figured you would wait until we had a full working model of the weapon and had trained extensively on dummies and targets before risking your life fighting actual Grimm. I'm assuming you used my old man's staff?"

Reed nodded again. "I hadn't expected anything better than that by the time I finished my year in the Town Guard," he said, "So once I had it I didn't see any point in delaying further. It's been an educational couple of nights, to say the least."

"I can imagine," Phaedra said thoughtfully. She hummed, tapping a finger on the table. After a minute had passed, she said, "Well then, we can move along more quickly I suppose. I wanted to ask you to come over and practice with the weapon some so I could see it in action. However, if you are already fighting Grimm I see little point in you testing it on static targets. What do you say to a little expedition?"

"Wait," said Reed, "You mean you want me to go out and field test it right off the bat?"

"No, I want  _us_  to go out and field test it. Second hand accounts aren't worth shit, I want to see how you wield it myself."

"Are you sure that's wise? Have you ever been outside the walls, in Grimm infested territory?"

Phaedra brushed his objection aside. "From the sound of it, you have a good idea of how to fight Creepers, and we are unlikely to run into anything else this close to Adigiar. Besides, I'm not some helpless lass. I've trained with more weapons than you can probably name, and have spent my entire life wielding heavy hammers. If push comes to shove, I can defend myself."

"Well, if you're sure," Reed replied, suppressing his doubts. "When do you want to go?"

Phaedra thought about it for a minute. "Tomorrow is Sunday, so we have the day off. Why don't we meet at the gates at dawn, and leave as soon as they are open? Then we can spend the entire day out in the woods weapon testing."

"I was planning on spending the day in the woods anyway, so that works for me," Reed said.

"Perfect, I will see you then." Phaedra shoveled the last of her food into her mouth before standing up and striding from the hall, leaving her dirty dishes behind.

Reed sighed and finished his own meal, then took both of their dishes to the return station. His head ached, and he still had to sit through Captain Dumbass's daily lecture. He decided he would go to bed as soon as he got home that night.

He would need a good night's sleep to deal with Phaedra for an entire day.


	5. Weapons Testing

_In other news, Tommy_ _'s Tailors was burned to the ground last night, in what police believe to be an act of arson. The local clothing store has been the subject of some press lately for their refusal to alter their garments to accommodate certain Faunus characteristics, like tails. Three parallel slashes were painted on the ground in bright red outside the establishment, the symbol of the infamous militant Faunus group, the White Fang. This is the third Human oriented establishment to receive such treatment in as many months, police are asking that anyone who has any information…_

Reed turned off his desktop display in disgust. Stories of conflict between humans and Faunus were becoming more frequent. There were far more instances of humans attacking Faunus than the other way around, though they were often portrayed as acts of self-defense. The White Fang, though, was a hot button issue. This particular incident would probably be reported on for weeks.

Shaking his head to clear it, Reed lifted his pack from its spot on the small table in the center of the room. The room was dull in the gray light of predawn, but Reed had already been up for over an hour. He had packed food for the day, emergency medical supplies, and water into his hiking backpack, and strapped the staff to its side. Phaedra was supposed to bring the new weapon with her, but Reed felt better having something simple and reliable within easy reach.

Ten minutes later he rounded a corner onto a large street, at the end of which stood the town gates. They were fifteen feet tall, made of the sturdiest lumber taken from the Emerald Forest, with reinforcing steel bands every three feet. The silhouette of Phaedra leaned in the shadow of the wall to the right of the gate.

Approaching her, Reed took stock of her expedition attire. Her bright blue hair was pulled back in the ponytail she normally wore while forging. She had a white baseball cap that said  _Forge me harder_  pulled low over her eyes, which were covered by dark sunglasses. Under a black jacket trimmed in blue she was wearing light leather armor, probably as a substitute for a blacksmiths apron. The armor was dark brown, and from a black belt at her waist hung a small hammer on her right hip, and the pair of knuckled daggers on the left. Her back pack was large, twice as big as Reed's own, and looked stuffed to bursting.

Reeds eyes were drawn to the staff, strapped to the side of her pack, just as the one her old man had given him was strapped to the side of Reed's. It was about six feet long, an inch or so taller than Reed, and was composed of the two thicker cylinders attached by a thinner middle section that Reed had seen in Phaedra's sketch.

Phaedra's eyes narrowed as she inspected Reed. "Have you honestly been going out into the woods in nothing more than a cotton T-shirt and jeans?"

Reed looked down at his outfit. He had switched out his normal running shoes for a sturdy pair of hiking boots, but other than that his attire was exactly what it would be on a normal day. He shrugged. "I can move fine in jeans. Besides, I don't really own anything else, other than my Gi."

"Even that would be better, there's no way you can move optimally in that. You really need to get some fucking proper combat attire."

Reed grimaced, remembering the slash he had received several nights previous. It had healed quickly enough when his Aura had regenerated, but it was still not an experience he would care to repeat. "I will look into getting some light armor when we get back," he promised, and she snorted in what may have been acknowledgment.

The gate began to creak open, cutting their conversation short. Between the massive doors, a steadily increasing line of trees became visible. The gates rumbled to a halt, and Phaedra and Reed walked through them out of the safety of the town. The roads were not overly dangerous during the day, and the Town Guard patrolled the busiest of them, so Reed and Phaedra set out at a brisk walk. They would have to hike a decent distance before they would have any chance of encountering Grimm.

Upon reaching the edge of the forest, Phaedra led them down a game trail that cut into the woods and away from town. Reed was surprised when she took the lead, having assumed she had little experience with the woods around Adigiar.

"My old man used to take me hiking through the forest all the time when I was a kid," she said when Reed brought it up. "He was a fighter of some renown before he became a forger, so he was always able to handle any of the small Grimm that hang out around here."

After an hour of hiking they came across the edge of a cliff that was clear of trees. Over its edge they could see the staggering extent of the forest, an ocean of green stretching to the west as far as the eye could see. To the north craggy mountains were visible, their tops wreathed in white clouds. Reed stood, marveling at the sight, as Phaedra dropped her bag with a poof of dust.

"This will serve fine as a base camp. I have one last addition to the weapon I want to install before we get started."

"Don't you need a forge to do any major modifications?" Reed asked, having assumed she brought the weapon ready to be field tested.

"Yep," she replied, and didn't elaborate. She began digging around in her pack, pulling out various tools and laying them out in a neat line. Last, she drew out a bulging brown pouch the size of Reeds head, and began pouring its contents in a pattern on the ground. They were tiny brown crystals, Earth dust Reed realized, each the size of a grain of sand. First she poured one large circle, piling the Dust in a small ridge. She then drew a smaller circle connected to its side, piling the dust less high than the first. Finally, she drew the hammer from her belt and hit the edge of the larger circle with a sharp crack.

Instantly there was a roaring screech of stone grinding against stone, and a cloud of dust appeared, obscuring the cliff's edge. When it settled a large stone bowl, the exact size of the forges he had seen at Phaedra's house, had risen from the ground. He wasn't sure what purpose the smaller bowl served, but he saw a more pressing concern.

"How are you going to heat the forge?" he asked. "There's no way you have enough coke in that backpack to fill the entire thing."

Phaedra grinned mischievously. "You may want to stand back," she said. Reed, having no idea what was about to happen, heeded her advice.

She leaned forward, hands placed on the edge of the bowl, and eyes fixed intently on the center. For a long minute, nothing happened. Then a crack rent the air, as a split appeared in the center of the bowl. From the split, molten magma spilled into the bowl.

Phaedra's arms began to tremble when the bowl was half full. When it reached the three-quarter mark she let out an explosive breath and stepped back, panting slightly.

"That was incredible," Reed said in awe. "How did you do that?"

She took a second to catch her breathe before replying, "My semblance allows me to pull magma from below Remnant's crust to the surface. Damn useful for creating forges on the go, but it always leaves me exhausted and fucking starving."

Reed reached into his bag and pulled out a small package, tossing it under hand to Phaedra. She caught it, and cast him a questioning look. "It's a rice ball," he said. "It's got salmon in a soy marinade on the inside, and is wrapped in dried seaweed."

Taking a bite, Phaedra gave an appreciative murmur of surprise. "Damn Reed, I had no idea you could cook."

"Hazard of having a chef for a mom," he replied, taking a rice ball for himself. Phaedra devoured what was left and made herself busy around the forge. She took out a spike and placed it on the dividing wall between the bigger bowl and the smaller one. She gave it a sharp rap with her hammer, drawing it out to let a stream of molten fluid fill the smaller bowl. Then she set a wind crystal on the edge of the bowl, blowing over the glowing fluid.

"What's that for?" Reed asked.

"Forging," Phaedra said with a smile. When Reed rolled his eyes, she relented. "When the magma first rises to the surface, it is a mix of iron from Remnant's molten core and liquid rock. As it settles, the heavier iron sinks to the bottom of the forge, so I am draining that out now to use as forging material."

"That's really handy, you never have to carry steel bars with a semblance like that."

Phaedra nodded, smugly. "It's perfect for a soon-to-be master forger like myself."

"So is the wind crystal for cooling the iron?"

"No, no, no," she said, with the air of explaining something to a child. "If I wanted to cool it quickly, I could just use an Ice crystal. When the iron is in this state, it still has too much carbon bonded with it. A little bit of carbon is good, it makes the steel hard and strong. But too much and it will be brittle and easy to break. By blowing a steady stream of air over the molten iron the oxygen in the air binds with the carbon, removing the excess and leaving the steel strong, yet flexible."

Reed had to resist smiling at the light that entered Phaedra's eyes as she described the process. The obvious passion that entered her voice was at odds with her normally abrasive demeanor. She even forgot to drop a single curse into her explanation.

"So Earth to make the forge, Wind to purify the material, and Ice to cool it." Reed grinned, "I have to say, it's a very unique use of dust."

"I know," Phaedra said, grinning to herself as she stared at her creation. "Honestly though, I am pretty proud of it. But enough about my brilliance for now, save it for after I finish your weapon."

She grabbed a small, ten-pound anvil, and set it next to the forge. Then she grabbed her tongs and hammer and began to shape the now solid, but malleable piece of glowing metal. She hammered on the cooling steel, sometimes taking strong powerful swings, other times tapping it to delicately guide it into the shape she had planned. Even though she gave it the attention of one guiding the creation of the next great masterpiece, the item turned out to be a simple metal cap, which she slid over one end of the staff.

"I left part of the staff hollow, as I'm planning on implanting a crystal there eventually," Phaedra said, carrying the weapon over to Reed, "But for now I've capped the hole with this to keep it balanced."

"Couldn't you have done that last night?"

"I had to get  _some_  sleep, you know," she said hotly. The defensive note in her voice made Reed wonder if she had waited on purpose, so she could show off her mobile forge.

"I don't know what you're thinking, but wipe that damn smirk off your face." She hesitated, then held the staff out to Reed. "It feels weird giving one of my creations to someone else," she said, eying him with a look of near hostility. "You better take good fucking care of it."

Reed accepted the weapon, and weighed it in his hands. It was a little heavier than the staff given to him by Phaedra's old man, but not by much. He spun it in a few practice moves, side-to side, over his head, then around his back, and nodded appreciatively. The balance was perfect. He couldn't even tell that one side concealed a blade.

"You activate the transformation with this switch," she said, pointing at a slightly discolored area just below the center of the staff. "Try it."

Reed flipped the switch and immediately a crescent of steel popped from the side near one end, a deadly point attached to its top pointing directly out from the staff. A long spur flipped out the other side, in the classic halberd style. Activating his semblance for good measure, Reed twirled the staff, walking around the cliff to get a good feel for the weapon.

It felt exactly like a staff, which was just fine by Reed. The balance hadn't changed in the slightest during the transformation, but one end of the staff was now edged with a deadly length of metal, a wickedly sharp spur opposite, and the tip with a point that could pierce through the thickest Grimm mask.

Reed activated the switch mid spin, transforming the weapon back into a staff as he slowed to a halt. He turned to face Phaedra. "The balance is impeccable, and the blade looks as sharp as a Beowolf's claws."

She snorted. "Please, Beowolfs have wet dreams about their claws being that sharp. Let's see if we can find a target worthy of being its first victim."

They found a small trail at the edge of the clearing leading deeper into the woods. Reed kept quiet, senses straining to pick up the slightest hint of nearby Grimm. Phaedra followed his lead, letting him lead the way and keeping a wary eye on the woods behind them.

Dappled sunlight filtered through the forest canopy over their heads, lending a peaceful lighting to the forest that contrasted sharply with the foreboding air Reed had experienced on his night-time forays. He had to constantly remind himself not to get complacent and let the calming atmosphere lure him into a false sense of security.

A rustling in the trees ahead of them made them both pull up short, muscles tense. To the right of the path ahead, a soft red glow became visible through a bush, and a lone Creeper wandered onto the path. It had three rows of bone-white spikes more than a foot-long protruding from its back, and a wicked spur on the end of its powerful tail. Reed gulped, this was a full-grown Grimm, not like the juveniles he had fought before.

"I will take care of this, but be careful," Reed whispered to Phaedra. "Creepers tend to hunt in packs, so there are probably more in the area."

Phaedra nodded and slid the knuckled knives from their sheaths at her hip. Reed walked toward the Grimm, shifting his balance from one foot to the next in a smooth gait that left him ready to move at a moment's notice. Hearing his soft footsteps on the ground, the Creeper turned to face him and let out a roar of challenge.

Reed started spinning the staff as the creature charged him, sliding the switch to activate the halberd head. He activated his semblance, and the creature's movements appeared to slow. When it was within a yard of Reed, the creature coiled on the ground and launched itself at Reed's face.

Stepping to the side, Reed spun the staff and brought it down on the back of the creature's neck. Unfortunately, Reed was not used to having to discern one end of the staff from the other. The blunt end of the staff drove the creature into the ground, rather than the blade separating the creature's head from its body.

The Creeper roared in rage, pinned to the ground by Reed's staff. Its tail lashed to the side, and Reed had to disengage to avoid taking a brutal hit to his floating ribs. The creature lunged at him with its claws, and Reed deflected the blow with an underhanded spin of the staff, again annoyed to find he hit the creature with the blunt end instead of the blade.

The reptilian Grimm spun with the blow, its other paw aimed at Reed's side. He caught the claws on his staff, but the strength of the blow knocked him flat on his back.

The Grimm's tail rose and the spur on its end lashed at his head. Taking the time to properly line up his strike, Reed spun to his feet and brought the halberd head around to intercept the blow. The crescent blade easily cleaved through the tail just below the spur.

Howling in pain, the Creeper made one last ditch effort, attempting to crush Reed's head in its powerful jaws. Reed brought the halberd around and stepped to the side, swinging the blade in a horizontal slash at head height. It passed through the Grimm's jaws and down the length of its body, cutting it in half lengthwise. Its roar died as the pieces began to dissipate into black mist.

Looking back at Phaedra, Reed saw that a second Creeper had appeared behind her, distracting her while a third had appeared between them. Reed rushed forward as the Grimm between them prepared to launch itself at Phaedra's unprotected back. He stomped his foot down on its tail, stopping it dead, and spun the halberd head up, severing its right forelimb. Predicting that the creature would attempt to spin at him with its remaining claw, Reed released the creature's tail. When the masked face spun to face him, it was met with an overhand slash, and the creature's head left its body.

Looking at Phaedra, Reed was relieved to see that she had the final Grimm well under control. She caught a horizontal slash on the gauntlet protected wrist of her right hand, and launched her left dagger forward, blade glowing bright red. It slid through the Creeper's mask like it was nothing, leaving a fiery trail in its wake. The creature fell to the ground, black mist spreading from head to tail.

Phaedra turned to Reed with a huff. "You know, we are out here for you to fight, not me. Pay more attention to your surroundings, if I have to kill one Grimm for every one of yours, you'll never be a professional Huntsman."

Raising an eyebrow, Reed replied, "I think you should heed your own advice. Did you not notice the third Creeper that almost got you in the back?"

Phaedra stiffened at that. She recovered quickly, turning her back on Reed. "Well two to one is still too much assistance on my part. I'm here to make weapons, not save your dumb ass."

Reed sighed, letting it drop. Once he had gotten used to having a blade on one end of the staff he had been able to dispatch the second Grimm without retreating so much as a step, and the weapon felt like a natural extension of himself. Still, the lack of power behind the blunt end of the staff was a problem.

"I have a suggestion for the halberd," Reed said, looking at the staff in his hands. "With your old man's staff I used an Ice crystal on one end, which let me trap Grimm and deal with them one at a time. The bladed head is powerful, but occasionally it's not viable to swing that head all the way around."

Phaedra nodded at that, returning to a professional demeanor. "I wanted you to get a feel for the halberd aspect before installing a dust crystal, but if you already find that it would be useful let's install one right away. You wanna be boring and stick with Ice, or are you feeling adventurous?"

Reed rolled his eyes. "For now let's stick with Ice. I know how to incorporate that into my fighting due to my night time excursions into these woods, so I can focus on getting used to the halberd."

"Fine, you crusty old Hermit."

They returned to the campsite, and Phaedra took the weapon from Reed. She removed the cap she had installed that morning, and after a moment of rummaging in her pack took out a medium sized Ice crystal. She slid it snugly into the slot at the bottom end of the staff, holding the weapon out to test its balance. Phaedra nodded, satisfied, and passed it back to Reed.

"Let's take a break," Reed suggested. "After that skirmish I could use a bite to eat."

"Whatever," Phaedra said, although her snarky tone was discredited by a loud rumble of her stomach. Reed grinned at her and passed her another rice ball before fishing one out for himself. They sat on the edge of the cliff, looking out over the tree tops that spread out below them. His thoughts returned to the news story that had been playing just before he left.

"Did you hear about the most recent White Fang attack?" he asked, taking a bite of his rice ball.

Phaedra grunted. "Fucking idiots," she said. "What kind of ass backwards logic is that? 'Oh, you know what will get people to treat us better? Let's harass the shit out of them. I'm sure they will like us if we burn down their stores.' I mean, I understand that a lot of humans treat Faunus like crap, but a lot of us also couldn't give less of a shit if someone is Faunus or human."

"The White Fang are scum," Reed said, a little more vehemently then he intended. "Nothing excuses their actions."

"Watch it. You're the one that brought it up, don't bite my damn head off." She cast him an annoyed look, but didn't push him.

Reed stewed in silence, his thoughts in the past. It was dangerous to let such negative emotions rule him in the middle of Grimm infested territory, but at that moment he could care less if a couple Creepers showed up. He would welcome the opportunity to work out some of his frustration. At the thought he looked behind him just in case.

Something much bigger than a Creeper stood at the edge of their clearing.

It was greater than six feet tall, body the deepest black of midnight, except for the bone white mask covering its canine face. It stood on two legs, long arms held out to the side ending in clawed paws the size of Reed's head. Evil red eyes glowed behind the mask, looking straight at him.

Reed realized with horror that his despondency had drawn a juvenile Beowolf.

Reed jumped to his feet and snatched the halberd from the ground as the thing raised its head to the sky and howled, the sound rattling his eardrums and sending a shiver down his spine. Phaedra yelped and jumped up, unaware of the Grimm before that moment.

He advanced, not wanting to be stuck between the monster and the cliff. The Beowolf fell to the ground on all fours and charged Reed. He felt his mouth grow dry at the sheer speed of the Grimm.

Even with his semblance active it was a near thing to escape the slash aimed at his throat. He caught the blow on the blunt end of his staff and dropped into a low stance, using the staff to send the blow sailing over his head. He stepped behind the creature, aiming a slash with the halberd head at its back.

The blow bounced harmlessly off the spikes protruding from its spine. As Reed recovered from the recoil the Beowolf spun and hit him a stunning backhand blow. He sailed through the air and his back slammed into the trunk of a tree, driving the air from his lungs. He landed on his feet, bracing the butt of his staff against the ground to keep him upright.

When he looked up, the Beowolf had turned away from him and was stalking towards Phaedra. She already had her knives out, hands fully gauntleted, and was retreating slowly before the advancing Beowolf. Reed started running for her, just as the creature pounced.

Phaedra activated the Wind dust in her left gauntlet, aiming to hit the Beowolf with her cyclone attack, but didn't have time to build up to full speed before the Grimm struck. Its clawed paw flashed out, catching her in the chest and throwing her to the ground. In an instant it was upon her, hind paws pinning her to the ground as blow after blow landed around her head and upper body. Phaedra's gauntlets caught the brunt of the blows aimed at her head, but her Aura wouldn't last long against the onslaught.

As Reed drew near Phaedra's Aura shattered with a crackling flash of light and the Beowolf pulled an arm back in preparation to stab her through the chest. Without any Aura left to protect her, the blow would mean instant death. Finally in range, Reed swung his staff with all his might, halberd head drawing a long line across the monster's chest. It howled and jumped out of range, skidding to a stop ten feet away, and immediately threw itself back at Reed and Phaedra.

Reed took his chance while the creature recovered to place himself between it and Phaedra. "Get back!" he yelled, casting a glance back at Phaedra. Her normal calm demeanor was gone, her eyes wild as she just stared at the Grimm. Cursing, Reed returned his attention to the beast as it charged him again. Phaedra was in no condition to run or fight, therefore it was up to Reed to protect her.

The Beowolf reared up onto its hind legs directly in front of Reed and started raining slashes down on him. Reed spun his halberd as fast as he could, knocking the creature's claws wide, high, and to the side, anything that kept them from ripping into Reed's flesh.

Despite his best efforts blows started to slip through his defense, claw clashing with the Aura around his arms and legs. As he took more damage, he felt control of his semblance starting to slip. Aura protected him  _and_  powered his semblance, but this fight was burning it at both ends. It was only a matter of time before it shattered like Phaedra's had.

The halberd head bit into the Grimm's flesh several times, but the damage was superficial and only served to anger the creature. It changed tactics, going for strength over speed. The blows were easier to track and deflect, but each one pushed Reed's guard further from his center.

As the Beowolf grew more infuriated Reed saw his chance. It went for an underhanded slash, aiming to cleave him in half. Reed hit the paw with the Dust infused end of his staff as it passed several inches from the ground, freezing the paw to the ground with a blossoming ice crystal. When the Beowolf raised its other paw high, Reed dashed under the outstretched limb. He struck its shoulder as hard as he could as he passed, and after an initial moment of resistance was rewarded with the halberd head passing clean through the limb.

Not giving it the time to recover, Reed got a running start and leapt at the creatures back. Using his semblance to time his moves carefully, he ran up the creatures back spikes and jumped off the top of its head. The action pushed the creature's snout down, exposing the back of its neck. Reed took his halberd in a two-handed grip and brought it down as hard as he could on the exposed area.

Reed crashed to the ground, followed shortly by the Beowolf's decapitated head before it dissipated into nothing. He lay flat on his back, panting as the adrenaline pounded through his head. A little gasp of air escaped his mouth, and before he knew it he was laughing hysterically. He knew he sounded insane, but couldn't help it.

The laughing passed after a minute, and he sat up. When he looked around, Phaedra was kneeling where she had fallen, head pressed against the ground. Alarmed, Reed ran over to her.

"Phaedra! Are you alright?!"

She nodded, without looking up. Reed heard a sniff, and realized she was crying but didn't want him to see. He relaxed and dropped down to sit on the cliff's edge next to her, watching the light change color as evening arrived. Everything was cast in a pink hue, lending the forest a happy glow that Reed knew better than ever hid the stuff of nightmares.

Phaedra sat up, but she kept her back to him. "That was way too close, you Hermit-damned fool. I almost had to save your ass  _again_."

She sounded almost normal, except a small quiver in her voice. An image flashed in his mind of her wild, terrified eyes, staring at the monster that almost took her life. It was so at odds with her normally cocky, brash self. She had stared death in the face, now she probably felt she had to over-correct for her moment of weakness.

Reed sighed. "Sorry, I will do better."

"Good." Phaedra's voice was rough as she moved to sit next to him, eyes red but face dry. Then, in a voice so small he almost missed it, "Thank you."

"It was nothing," Reed said, leaning back on his elbows. "Like you said, what kind of Huntsman would I be if my forger had to protect me?"

Phaedra let out a little laugh. "Damn straight," she said, pulling a handkerchief out of her pocket to wipe her nose. "Still, it has been years since a Beowolf, even a juvenile, has been seen this close to Adigiar. What the hell is going on?"

"It has to be the White Fang," Reed replied. "Because of them, Human-Faunus relationships are deteriorating, and that's causing more negative feelings. Humans are scared of the White Fang, so they persecute the Faunus. This makes the Faunus more scared of the humans, and I'm willing to bet leads to higher recruitment for the White Fang."

Phaedra nodded, agreeing with his logic. She rose to her feet, and offered Reed a hand up. "I don't know about you," she said, "but I think I could sleep for a week right now. Shall we call it a day?"


	6. Seraphina

The sun was low over the buildings across the street as Reed stepped out of the Town Guard headquarters. Phaedra was staying late because of a project she had been assigned, so Reed decided to take the night to visit his favorite side street. He was looking forward to visiting his friends at Komodo Curry, and Reed realized guiltily that it had been several weeks since he had gone to train with his teacher.

Reed rounded the corner to the alley and stopped at the sight that confronted him. A Faunus, some sort of fox by the looks of his large, furry ears, was cowering on the ground, hands wrapped around his ears. The delinquents from Reed's group of recruits stood around him in an intimidating half circle. Their leader stood in the center of their line, her muscular arms folded as her gang took turns kicking the defenseless boy.

"You Faunus are sub-human trash," she taunted. "I swear, if it were up to me the lot of you would be exterminated. You're vermin, parasites sucking off the rest of human society."

"Seraphina," the other female member of the gang warned, nodding in Reed's direction.

Anger raged through Reed's body. He tried to keep his breathing even, but couldn't stop his fists from clenching at his side.

Seraphina sized him up, a malicious smirk creeping across her face. "This has nothing to do with you, skinny. Just keep walking."

The Faunus boy glanced up at Reed from under bruised arms, eyes clouded with pain.

"What is wrong with you," Reed said through clenched teeth. "Does it feel that good to hurt someone who can't defend themselves? Just because he's different from you?"

Her smirk spread to a full, wolfish grin. "Guess we will have to make sure you understand what we're about. Can't have you blabbing to the guard about this little bit of sport, after all."

Seraphina jerked her chin in Reed's direction and the largest member of her gang stepped forward, cracking his knuckles menacingly. He was baby faced and fat, his small eyes without the barest gleam of intelligence.

Reed shifted his weight to the balls of his feet and raised his arms to a ready position. He wasn't too worried about the big guy, but fighting the whole group at once was probably not a good idea. It would be best to take him out quickly.

Roaring, the boy charged, bringing his right fist back for an unimaginative straight punch. Reed side stepped the blow easily. With his opponent off balance, Reed placed one hand on the boy's extended wrist, the other on his shoulder. With a twist of his hips, Reed spun the boy around and drove him face first into the wall of the alley. Babyface's considerable weight added power to the blow, knocking him instantly unconscious.

Reed turned and faced the remaining delinquents. Seraphina's cronies eyed him angrily, fanning out in front of Reed.

"Stop."

The voice rang out from behind the three delinquents and Seraphina pushed in front of them, eying Reed with interest. She had several inches on him, and her spiky red hair gave her the appearance of being even taller.

"You're no match for him," she told the three standing behind her, eyes locked with Reed's. "Not even the three of you together."

"But Seraphina-!"

The look Seraphina gave the other girl quelled her into submission without the need for words. Turning back to Reed, Seraphina continued to eye him.

Seeing his chance, the Faunus boy scrambled to his feet and fled down the alley. Seraphina didn't so much as glance at him.

"All those days sitting bored in class, and I barely registered your presence. Who would have thought someone who could fight worth a damn sat just a few seats away. This is gonna be fun."

Seraphina settled into a ready crouch, eyes alight as she held her hands out to either side. Despite the lack of training evident in her wild stance, Reed could tell she was perfectly balanced and ready to spring. He moved into his own ready stance, one foot slightly extended in front of the other. He wished he hadn't left his staff at home, he felt naked without it.

"Tell me something, before I rip you to pieces," she said. "Why would you, a human, protect some Faunus scum? Faunus aren't people, they are just animals pretending to have humanity. Just look at the White Fang, a bunch of savage bastards who attack humans just because they know they are inferior."

Mention of the White Fang sent a fresh wave of anger coursing through him. "The members of the White Fang are thieves and murderers, but they are not representative of Faunus as a whole. There are plenty of humans who can be called the same."

Seraphina sneered at his words. "Have you no pride? Don't you resent that humans are forced to live side by side with animals?"

"I grew up around some Faunus that are the kindest people you will ever meet," he said, trying to keep the rage he felt at Seraphina's words in check. "And I far prefer their company to your  _bullshit_."

Seraphina gave him no warning whatsoever, no twitch or yell to indicate her intentions. She just leapt forward and brought her left arm around in a powerful hook. Her speed surprised Reed, and he was forced to react before he could activate his semblance. He slid under the blow, only to find her right knee coming up to meet him. He caught it, but her left elbow come back around and slammed into his chin.

He staggered back and tasted blood. His Aura was already healing the small cut on his lip, but the sheer power from her blow had been enough to rattle him. His initial account of Seraphina had been spot on, she  _was_  dangerous.

The retreat gave Reed time to activate his semblance, and the fight slowed to half speed. Seraphina jabbed at Reed with her right hand and Reed slipped to the outside. She pulled the hand in, pursuing Reed with her elbow, forcing him to duck under the blow. The moment he did her left leg collided with him, her arm having hidden the approaching blow from view. Luckily Reed had his guard up, and the blow landed painfully across his shoulder and forearm rather than the side of his head.

The blow knocked him through the air down the alley. He tucked into a flip and landed on his feet, right hand braced against the ground for support. Reed could slow his perception of the fight, but for some reason he could not read her moves. She had to be an experienced street fighter, no one else could fight that well on instinct alone.

Reed returned to a standing position and waited for Seraphina to charge him again. She didn't however, tilting her head up at a slight angle before cursing softly.

"Dammit, the cops are on their way. You three, grab that useless lug on the ground and get him out of here. You," she said to Reed. "You and I have unfinished business, but I would rather settle it without the Guard being involved. See you around."

With that, the delinquents fled down the alley, and out of sight. It was several more seconds before Reed heard the sirens of approaching police cars, one flashing by the mouth of the alley where the delinquents had fled.

Reed relaxed and rubbed at the phantom pain lingering around his mouth. He had expected the big delinquent girl to be capable, but he had been unprepared for the sheer ferocity and strength of her attack.

An image flashed in his head of the poor boy fleeing down the alley, his eyes full of apology as he glanced at Reed. He hoped the little Faunus made it home alright.

* * *

The next day, Reed was followed everywhere he went by Seraphina's hungry gaze. During the morning speech from Captain Collins, Seraphina stood right behind Reed, giving him the distinct feeling that a knife was about to slide between his ribs. During the midday drills, he could feel Seraphina watching his form and balance, analyzing the combat prowess she had been previously unaware of. In fact, Reed had the distinct impression that if Corporal Tamus wasn't supervising, Seraphina would have rushed him then and there. However, the afternoon lecture was the worst of all.

As Reed sat in his customary place in the back corner of the classroom, Seraphina walked in and scanned the room. Locating him, she sauntered up and dropped into the seat next to Reed, pinning him between her and the wall. Her gang took up their customary seats in the opposite back corner, leaving Seraphina alone with Reed.

For the first time that day, she wasn't watching him. She was staring at the empty lectern, a satisfied smirk twisting her face.

"So, your name is Reed Aoki, right?"

Reed groaned inwardly. He knew it wouldn't be hard for her to discern his name, if she didn't already know it. It would be easy enough to ask around until she found someone that remembered, but for some reason it was so much worse now that he knew she knew it.

"You have me at a disadvantage," Reed replied, voice emotionless. "All I know is that your cronies call you Seraphina."

"Believe it or not, that's all there is," she replied, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms behind her head. "I'm an orphan, and the ones who abandoned me decided it wasn't worth it to tell the orphanage their last name. So it's just Seraphina."

Reed felt a pang of sympathy, which he smothered ruthlessly. Plenty of people had hard pasts, but that didn't excuse the disgusting behavior she had displayed in the alley. It was then that Captain Collins walked in, and the chatter died down as he took his place behind the podium.

"You have been in the Town Guard for several weeks now," Collins said, glancing around the classroom. "And you have started to get a little experience in what it means to protect the town of Adigiar. However, protecting the town is not just about learning to wield a gun-spear, it's a lot of bunch of things. One of those things is going out on patrol, both around the city wall and on the various roads going in and out of town. Starting next week, you will be separated into pairs and go on patrol with a senior guardsman, so he can show you how it is done. Look to the person next to you."

Reed stiffened, and slowly turned to face Seraphina. Her wide smile didn't reach her eyes, which looked empty and hungry. Somehow she'd found out the pairing process,  _that_  was why she had decided to sit next to him.

"That is your partner for patrol duty. Starting Monday, rather than come here after drills you will meet your squad leader in the briefing room on the second floor. Make sure you come in uniform, the squad leader will show you how to check out gun-spears for patrol duty, just in case you happen to run across some stray Grimm. Speaking of Grimm, as today will be our last class, I have a special story I've been saving for the occasion. It was fifteen years ago when I was assigned to take care of the biggest Nevermore in Adigiar history. The giant flying creature had been circling the town, snatching up travelers left and right-"

The long-winded, embellishing Captain turned to write something on the board. Seraphina's right hand shot out, attempting to jab Reed in the ribs. He dropped his elbow to block the blow, and was about to retaliate when Collins turned back around, continuing his false narrative. Reed groaned, and sank lower in his seat. Starting next week, life was going to be hell.

* * *

Monday afternoon, Reed reported apprehensively to the briefing room after midday drills. He was the last to arrive, and Collins gave him an annoyed look when he walked through the door. A line of older guardsmen sat at the front of the briefing room, one for every pair of new recruits. They ranged from old men that looked like they would barely be able to wield a gun-spear, to young corporals who were probably only a year or two older than the recruits they would be supervising.

"Mr. Aoki, on time by the skin of your teeth," Collins said, "Please sit next to your partner, so we can commence the assignments."

Approaching Seraphina, she gave him a look that suggested she was suppressing a wolfish grin and patted the seat next to her. Reed half expected to see a thumbtack on the seat, but apparently she wasn't that childish. She just wanted to kill him.

"Alright all of you," Collins said, hands behind his back and attempting to puff out his chest in an authoritative manner. He only succeeded in making his ample girth look bigger. "I will introduce each of these senior guardsmen in turn. When I call your names, go with the guardsman assigned. They will explain your assignments and pass on their experience."

The first pair assigned was the fat boy and thin girl from Seraphina's gang. They were introduced to a no-nonsense woman with hair in a tight bun and thick, stocky legs, who led them from the room.

Several other pairs were assigned before Collins introduced one of the youngest senior guardsmen. He was of average height, with surprisingly toned muscles. Despite his youthful appearance his eyes had a hard look to them. Reed guessed that this man had seen some actual combat.

"This is Sergeant Tanners," Collins said, with obvious distaste. "He was a recruit last year. Seraphina and Reed, you will be under him."

When they stood, Sergeant Tanners nodded to them and motioned for them to follow him as he marched from the room. Reed stood and walked out the door, feeling Seraphina's gaze as an itch between his shoulder blades as she followed him out. Outside of the briefing room, Tanners turned to them and gave them both a look up and down.

"My name is Sergeant Felix Tanners. Private Aoki, Private Seraphina," he said, extending a hand to each in turn. "I look forward to working with you. I'm only a year older than the two of you, but I spent that time assigned to a patrol that covered the smaller roads through the woods around Adigiar, so I've fought my share of Grimm. If you have any concerns or questions, just ask. Follow me."

The sergeant turned and marched down the hall at a quick pace. Seraphina and Reed followed two paces behind, Reed constantly having to step over her feet as she tried to trip him. The sergeant stopped at a door at the end of the hall and turned to face them again.

"This is the armory," Tanners said, gesturing at the door behind him. "Every day before patrols you will come here and check out a gun-spear. Grimm rarely come as far as the walls of the city where we will be patrolling, but you still have to be prepared. Plus it is good practice to learn how to march with weapon in hand."

Sergeant Tanners opened the door and strode in. They entered a large room, filled with racks of weapons. The majority were gun-spears, taking up half of the room, with another quarter dedicated to lines of simple rifles with bayonets. One wall was lined with several unique weapons, likely belonging to the few senior guards who actually had enough combat experience to warrant the commissioning of a custom weapon. The entrance was a small serving area, separated from the rest of the armory by a waist-high counter. An enormously fat man sat behind a holographic screen, and Reed could see a CCT System entertainment program playing on it.

"Sergeant Dustin," Tanners said, drawing the man's attention away from his show. "Three gun-spears for patrol."

The man grunted, and heaved himself to his feet. "Already time for the new recruits to start patrols, eh?" He said in an apathetic voice, picking up three gun-spears from a rack. "That's sooner than usual. Damn, that means today is going to be busy. And I was just about to find out who killed the Duke's nephew."

Reed had come to expect this lackadaisical attitude from members of the Guard. Still, it irked him that the man was so obvious about how little he cared about his job.

"Your job must be so difficult," Tanners remarked dryly, passing a gun-spear to Reed and Seraphina. "We'll see you in a few hours."

The fat man grunted, Tanners's sarcasm not even registering as he returned his attention to the screen. The sergeant led them from the room and out of the Town Guard headquarters, heading for the town border.

"As I mentioned earlier, we will be patrolling the wall," the sergeant said, feet striking pavement in perfect marching rhythm. "The walls are less of a deterrent for Grimm, and more to delay them long enough for us to act. It only takes a Creeper or juvenile Beowolf a minute or two to scale the wall, but the patrols are staggered so that even if no one sees them approaching, someone will pass during that time.

"That said, it is still a rare event for a Grimm to be drawn all the way to the city border. That's why we start the recruits on wall duty, to get them used to the motions of patrol with minimal risk. After a few weeks of instruction on the wall we will start to rotate you into patrols that scout the roads through the woods, starting with those we believe to be the most combat ready. Those patrols are much more dangerous, usually encountering at least a small pack of Creepers once per patrol. But don't worry, forest patrols have twice as many veterans as recruits, so you will still have experienced guardsmen to protect you."

Reed wasn't too concerned with the idea of patrolling the woods with an entire regiment of guards. He'd spent enough time in the woods, either alone or with Phaedra, and was confident he could take on any Grimm that would show itself on any of the major roads leading out of Adigiar. Seraphina seemed similarly unconcerned, but maybe she was just thinking how best to torture Reed next.

Tanners turned and gave them an appraising look as he walked down the street, noticing their lack of concern and nodding to himself.

"By the looks of you, you two will be some of the first on forest patrol," he said, returning his gaze forward, "But just because you are used to fighting doesn't mean you should be cocky. Fighting Grimm is completely different from a tournament or street brawl, which I'm guessing is what the two of you are used to, respectively."

Seraphina's gaze snapped from Reed to the sergeant. Obviously she had just registered that Tanners was also someone used to fighting. Reed saw her settle her balance onto the balls of her feet, and Tanners immediately turned to face her.

"I'm guessing you are the type to not respect authority, unless that authority has proved to be stronger than yourself," Tanners said disapprovingly. "Obviously this is going to cause some tension, so let's get it out of the way now.

"My job is to keep the two of you alive, and I expect you  _privates_  to follow my every order. I have the authority to instantly dismiss you from the Guard if I deem you unfit for the job, so let's have ourselves an agreement. I will fight you until one of our Auras is depleted. If I win, you will never pull a stunt like trying to attack me from behind again, and will follow my every command without question. If you win, I will allow you to do whatever you want when you should be on wall patrol. Likely that will lead to you being eaten by a Grimm when you switch to forest patrol, but that's your problem, not mine."

Reed admired the young Sergeant's intuition into Seraphina's personality. She was practically animalistic in her lust to prove herself over those around her, and calling her out in this way challenged her to a direct competition. Reed just wondered if he had the skills to back it up.

Seraphina grinned, obviously intent on taking up the challenge. "I like your style, Sergeant. Let's go, I will mop the floor with you."

"Save it for when we are outside the city walls," Tanners replied, turning back around and resuming his walk down the street. "I would prefer my superiors didn't see me beating up a new recruit."

After passing through the North gate, the trio followed the city wall for a little over a mile until a turn hid the gate and road from sight. Tanners turned and rested his gun-spear against the wall, removing his uniform's coat and dropping it on the ground. Seraphina mimicked him as the corporal grabbed his spear again.

"Using a weapon isn't how I roll," Seraphina said, eying her opponent. Without his jacket, Tanners looked smaller than Reed was expecting. His muscles were taut, but he had the body of a runner, and Seraphina probably had thirty pounds on him.

"Do as you please," he responded, spear held casually in one hand. "But we are members of the Town Guard, trained in using a gun-spear. You might as well learn how to use one in an actual fight, unless you plan on beating Grimm to death with your bare hands. Begin whenever and however you please."

Seraphina looked at the sky, as if contemplating. Before Reed could register that the attack had started, the tip of her gun-spear was sweeping in a wide arc towards Tanners's neck. It was stopped cold by his free hand, gripping it just below the tip.

Seraphina looked down in surprise as Tanners pulled sharply on the weapon, drawing her to him. He stepped forward in a powerful push kick, which yanked the spear from Seraphina's grip and sent her sprawling several yards away. As she jumped to her feet, eyes blazing with rage, Tanners tossed her spear back to her.

"Very sloppy," he said, shaking his head. "You've been drilled extensively in how to use a spear, and yet that's how you initiate a confrontation? The advantage of a spear comes from its ability to stab in and pull out quickly, using it for a round-house slash right off the bat is just foolish. Again."

Roaring, Seraphina charged the sergeant, spearhead leveled at his throat. Tanners took up his gun-spear in both hands. When Seraphina was only a foot away he knocked her weapon to the side, then spun and struck her shins with the long wooden end of his weapon. Seraphina snarled in pain as she staggered past and turned to face him again.

"Better, you've got the thing pointed in the right direction at least," Tanners said. "But you shouldn't just charge right in. Ground yourself before your first attack, otherwise you will be easy to put off balance and redirect."

Reed felt a little uneasy at how much combat advice the sergeant was working into their fight. As an instructor, it was the perfect way to deal with an uppity new recruit. Establish dominance, and build up the student at the same time. For selfish reasons, however, Reed wished the sergeant wouldn't make Seraphina a better fighter than she already was.

Seraphina stalked back in and took a more moderate approach. Once she was in range she stepped into a thrust aimed at the sergeant's torso. He slid to the side of the weapon, grabbed the shaft, and pulled himself into the air. His knee landed squarely on the side of Seraphina's head and she staggered to the side.

"Don't leave the gun-spear extended," Tanners admonished. "Once the head is past the target, it presents very little danger. Use the gun, it will help you reset to a ready position after a thrust, and will add damage if you manage to a score a hit."

The gun end of her spear detonated again and again as Seraphina launched a series of attacks at Sergeant Tanners. He weaved between them, occasionally using the shaft of his weapon to redirect an attack if dodging it would put him off balance.

"Much better," he said, voice calm despite being in a flurry of activity aimed at taking his life. "If you keep training, you might actually be worth something in a couple years."

Roaring in frustration, Seraphina stepped forward and spun the butt of her weapon at Tanners like a bat. His eyes grew hard in annoyance. He stepped in and struck the middle of the shaft with his open palm, breaking it in half. As Seraphina staggered back the sergeant spun to build momentum and drove the butt of his spear between her eyes. Light shimmered around her as her Aura shattered and she fell hard to the ground. She tried to sit up, eyes alight with rage, but her neck met the point of Tanner's gun-spear, and she stopped dead.

"Your Aura has been completely depleted," he said, voice hard and uncompromising. "You lose."

Sergeant Tanners didn't say anything more. He just stared Seraphina down, making his dominance obvious from his body language and the deadly spear tip dimpling her throat. After a minute, Seraphina dropped her gaze and Tanners removed the tip from her throat. He walked calmly back to where he had tossed his jacket, picking it up from the ground and straightening it neatly over his undershirt.

"I hope you were paying attention to that too, Reed," Tanners said. "The advice that I gave Seraphina is good for any new recruit, simple but tried and true."

Reed nodded to the man. If Sergeant Tanners were here, wall patrol with Seraphina wouldn't be  _too_  bad.


	7. Body and Mind

Reed dropped into his seat in the dining hall with a groan. It had been several days since he had started patrols with Sergeant Tanners and Seraphina, and he was exhausted. Every afternoon he had to deal with Seraphina’s tormenting. She jabbed him in the ribs, tripped him with a casually extended foot, and shoved him into the town wall whenever she got a chance. The bruises healed quickly due to his Aura, but it was still wearing on Reed mentally. Phaedra raised a questioning eyebrow at him from across the table.

 

“What’s with you?”

 

“It’s these patrols with Seraphina,” Reed groaned, picking at his food. “She takes every chance she can get to pull the pettiest stunts. Sergeant Tanners has caught her a couple times and gave her a talking to, but it just made her sneakier and harder to avoid. I’ve taken to activating my semblance whenever I can, but then the patrols seem to take twice as long, and I can only keep it going for about ten minutes before I have to stop and recover.”

 

“You should just kick her ass,” Phaedra said, popping a strawberry in her mouth. “From what you said her gang wasn’t worth anything, and you held your own even without your staff.”

 

“Held my own is a generous way of putting it. I didn’t land a single hit on her, I just barely managed to block or absorb what she threw at me. That isn’t why I haven’t confronted her, though.”

 

“Then why?”

 

“It is just not the way I was taught,” Reed said with a sigh. “My teacher always tells his students that fighting is a last resort, reserved only for those moments when one’s life is in danger. The entire art he teaches is based around the concept of using an opponent’s force against them. Despite how annoying it is, what Seraphina is doing isn’t actually putting my life in jeopardy.”

 

“That’s some pacifist bullshit,” Phaedra snorted. “She’s not endangering you now, but it’s clear that she intends to seriously fuck you up eventually. You told me you have had to take circuitous routes home from headquarters because she tries to tail you. Just nip the problem in the ass before it escalates.”

 

“I’ve started carrying my staff everywhere, just in case,” Reed admitted, “But I am still hoping I can resolve this peacefully.”

 

“That’s not going to happen,” Phaedra said flatly. “You demeaned her in front of her gang by stepping in and protecting that Faunus kid. Seraphina is an animal, and you represent a threat to her position as Alpha. But if you insist on following your teaching, I suggest you talk to your teacher. I’ve made my thoughts on the subject clear, so pestering me won’t do you any damn good.”

 

“That’s a good point, actually. I am overdue to visit him anyway, a fresh perspective could be helpful.”

 

“I’m right, what a shocker,” Phaedra said sarcastically. “Now, can we discuss something more important? I have several ideas for what to do next in regards to your halberd, and want your opinion on where to start. For one thing, what did you think of the Ice crystal with the halberd head? Do you want to try something else?”

 

“For now I would like to keep it,” Reed said, thinking back. “I’ve grown accustomed to being able to hinder my foes movement, and its dead useful in a pinch.”

 

“Alright, we will keep it then,” Phaedra said, jotting something down in a notebook she had pulled from her jacket. “We could try Earth or Fire, but I have a feeling you will still prefer Ice. As for Air, I had an idea. What do you think of the speed of the halberd?”

 

“I’m able to wield it as quickly as a staff, which is good, but even though my semblance gives me increased control I reach a point where I just can’t move my body any faster.”

 

“But you think you could control higher speeds, if your physical limitations weren’t a problem?”

 

“I suppose so.”

 

“Perfect,” she said, snapping the notebook closed. “That’s what I needed to know. Let’s head out into the woods again this Sunday. I should have the modifications done by then.”

 

At that point the bell rang, indicating the end of their lunch break. Reed groaned as he pushed himself to his feet, resigned to another afternoon of Seraphina’s company.

 

* * *

 

 

Reed left the headquarters, eyes adjusting from the gloom of the windowless hallways to the rosy evening light. Normally he would take a right and cut down the alley a block away to go to Roji Street, but today he went to the left on a more circuitous path. He didn’t want anyone with malicious intent knowing about his safe haven. As he glanced at a window across the street he saw the reflection of the headquarters. Sure enough, Seraphina slipped out and began tailing him, staying about fifty yards behind.

 

Acting as if he hadn’t noticed, Reed walked several blocks before turning down an alley. This alley ended in a T-intersection after only twenty feet, and Reed turned left again as he broke into a run. The alley kept going for a hundred feet or so before opening onto the main street. Twenty feet down, there was a wooden fence that walled off another alley. Reed jumped off the wall opposite the fence, vaulting it. When he landed on the other side he stood stock still, listening. Footsteps sounded on the other side of the wall, and he heard low cursing as they passed the fence and continued down the alley.

 

Reed grinned and made his way out onto the road. It was a busy part of town, heavy with traffic from people visiting the various department stores, movie theaters, and chain restaurants that lined the street. From here it was an easy walk to Roji Street. He checked behind him occasionally to make sure Seraphina hadn’t tracked him down, but it looked like Reed had given her the slip.

 

Turning onto the small street, Reed let out a small sigh of relief. He wouldn’t go so far as to say he was uncomfortable around large crowds, but Roji Street just felt so much friendlier than the hectic bustle of the main strip. Traffic was so minimal that he could cross the street basically anytime he pleased. The store keepers were friendly and welcoming, their businesses relying on customer service rather than a brand name. And of course, a chain restaurant could never live up to a mom and pop, hole-in-the-wall location that had been passing down its recipes for generations.

 

Reed passed the stores he had known since a kid and found himself at the end of Roji Street, facing his teacher’s school. The wood outlined paper screens were wide open to allow the cool evening breeze to flush out the heat of the day. The last class of the day filed out of the front door chatting with each other. Some called out to Reed as they passed, while others just nodded. He inclined his head to them then walked into the school, bowing as he crossed the threshold.

 

His teacher was kneeling at the far end of the dojo, eyes fixed on the entrance as if he knew Reed had been on his way. He smiled in his kind way, eyes crinkling at the corners. “Welcome Reed,” he said in his sonorous, calm voice. “It has been a while since you were last here.”

 

Reed felt a pang of guilt. Between training during the day, weapon designing sessions with Phaedra, and excursions into the woods on nights and weekends, Reed had let several weeks pass since his last visit. He bowed deeply to his teacher, and said, “I apologize teacher, I know my attendance has been poor. The past several weeks have been… eventful.”

 

His teacher smiled again and nodded his understanding. “Of course, Reed. I can tell something weighs heavy on your mind, and have a feeling that today you seek council rather than practice. Please, sit. I shall make us some tea.”

 

The old man rose gracefully to his feet and walked in slow, controlled steps to the edge of the training mat, where a small seating area sat out of the way. A kneeling table sat in the middle of the carpeted area, surrounded by four cushions. A small table in the corner held a dust powered kettle, several tea pots of varying size, cups, and a small selection of tea.

 

Reed removed his shoes and knelt at the table. His teacher lifted the kettle, a small pot, two cups, and one of Reed’s favorite teas from the side table and set them down before kneeling opposite him. His teacher was a methodical man, and preferred to set his mind to one task at a time. He found the process of making tea meditative, and preferred to hold discussion after the process was finished, so Reed waited.

 

Several minutes later, after handing Reed a steaming cup, his teacher sipped from his own before finally saying, “Tell me of the last few weeks, Reed. I’m sure you came here to discuss something specific, but I would like to hear how your induction into the Guard has gone. I will better understand your plight if I know the events leading up to it.”

 

Eager to get to the topic at hand, Reed gave a quick over view of the last few weeks. Starting from the beginning, he talked of the incompetence of Captain Collins, the surprisingly adept Corporal Tamus and Sergeant Tanners, his meeting and working with Phaedra, and their forays into the woods.

 

He tried to make the last topic sound like it wasn’t a big deal, but Reed’s teacher stopped him and said, “Venturing into the forest without an experienced fighter is extremely fool hardy. You may have skills comparable to some of the best tournament fighters in the kingdom, but the Creatures of Grimm don’t play by tournament rules.”

 

He sighed, before continuing, “However, I have a feeling you’ve already experienced this first hand, and you lived to tell about it.”

 

Reed rubbed the back of his head in chagrin. “Yeah, you could say that. It’s mostly just been Creepers, although we have also run into a few juvenile Beowolf.”

 

His teacher’s eyes, which had been contemplating the tealeaves at the bottom of his cup, snapped up at Reed’s statement. “Beowolfs? That is very concerning, even just a juvenile could be a harbinger of a larger pack. How did you fair against them?”

 

Reed grimaced. “I beat the first one by the skin of my teeth. It nearly got Phaedra, the forge apprentice I told you about. The others have been easier. I have grown accustomed to how they fight.”

 

“The city is restless,” his teacher muttered under his breathe, eyes far away. “Humans fight Faunus, and Faunus fight Humans, neither realizing that the true enemy lies outside the city. If this escalates further, we may have more pressing matters than the normal arrangement of stray Creepers. Something has to be done to restore peace between the races…”

 

“That sort of leads into why I am here,” Reed said, drawing his teacher’s attention back to the reason for his visit. “I clashed with a group of delinquents the other day, and now their leader is after my head. They were picking on a Faunus in an alley, and when I stepped in they jumped me. Most of them aren’t a problem, but their leader is blood thirsty. Since I proved myself a decent opponent she has been stalking me, trying to catch me alone. To make matters worse, the recruits were recently assigned partners for wall patrol duty, and she managed to arrange it so that we are paired together.

 

“Thanks to the sergeant in charge of showing us the ropes there has been no serious fighting, but she takes every opportunity to strike at me when his back is turned. She’s fast and gives me little to no warning, and I leave our patrol duty sore and haggard. I have been trying to avoid a serious confrontation with her, but honestly I am starting to think that will be the only way out of this situation.”

 

His teacher stroked his beard thoughtfully. “What of your semblance?” he asked. “Surely your ability should grant you the time to react to her attacks, even if you can’t spot them before they start.”

 

“I’ve tried,” Reed said, trying to keep the frustration out of his voice, “But our patrol is several hours long. I can only keep my semblance active for about ten minutes at a time before I have to recover.”

 

“What about altering the degree to which you slow your perception?”

 

Reed opened his mouth to say that it was impossible, then closed it, thoughtful. He’d never actually tried anything like that before, he had always just viewed his semblance as a switch. On, perceived time slowed by half. Off, normal perception.

 

“I hadn’t thought of that,” Reed admitted.

 

His teacher smiled, and gestured to the mat. “Would you care to practice?” he said, “I feel it would help you to do something you are familiar with, and The Maidens know you are familiar with sparring.”

 

Reed changed into his training clothes and faced off against his teacher, both with staffs in hand. “Let’s stick to a training routine,” his teacher said, taking the starting stance for a medium difficultly series designed to get intermediate students familiar with more advanced moves. Reed had mastered the moves long ago, and would be able to think during the repetitive exercise.

 

“Now,” his teacher said as Reed took the corresponding stance, “Think about what you want your semblance to do. It is an extension of yourself, and will respond to your will if it is strong and clear enough. Use a specific correlation to give your mind the context it needs to process your will. For example, you say your perception of time normally slows by half. You could imagine a cup, half full for your full activation, and incrementally more full for varying degrees of slowed perception.”

 

They started the routine, staffs striking together in a predetermined set of jabs, slashes, and blocks. Reed attempted to correlate the picture of a glass of water to his semblance, imagining it three quarters full. He activated his semblance and felt his perception slow. It was perhaps a little faster than normal, but it was still much closer to half speed than three quarters. The routine came to a finish, and his teacher looked at Reed expectantly.

 

“Well?”

 

“There was a small difference,” Reed said, “But it wasn’t far from my full activation.”

 

“It doesn’t have to be a glass of water,” his teacher said, “What was the defining aspect of the picture you imagined? Did you see the water cup at a certain level, or did you think of the fraction?”

 

“The latter.”

 

“Ever the logical thinker,” Reed’s teacher said with another of his eye crinkling smiles. “Think in numbers instead, fractions or percentages. Let’s try again”

 

Staff clashed against staff, and Reed imagined that he was going to slow his perception to seventy-five percent compared to normal. When his semblance activated, Reed had the very strange sensation of time moving both too fast and too slow at once. His foot slipped too far forward in his next step, his hand pushed too far up the staff, and he was rewarded with a painful crack on his hand.

 

Reed bit back a string of curses as his teacher nodded in satisfaction. “Good, now what you need is practice. Let’s go again.”

 

* * *

 

 

Reed exited the Town Guard headquarters and looked warily up and down the street, hand lightly touching the staff strapped across his back. Night had fallen, and the undamaged face of the moon hung low over the buildings across the street. Street lamps lined the road, leaving pools of light that did more to accent the shadows than dispel them. Reed looked for any shady figures hidden in the deep shadows as he started down one of the longer routes home.

 

Over the past several days Reed had noticed various members of Seraphina’s little gang following him whenever he left the Town Guard headquarters. They weren’t very stealthy. He was able to notice them and give them the slip, but the fact that they weren’t in sight now made him nervous. He really didn’t want them to know where he lived, so he took a circuitous route to give him time to locate them.

 

As he walked down an alley, a slim figure stepped out of the opposite entrance to block his path, followed by a hulking shadow. An itch at the back of his neck warned him of more presences behind, and Reed turned to see the two rat-faced boys blocking his retreat. That would make the previous two figures Babyface and the too-thin girl.

 

“Seraphina’s starting to get angry with us for not being able to follow you home,” the girl said, her high pitched whine grating against Reed’s ears. “She doesn’t think we can take you, but I’m gonna prove that you aren’t worth her time. We are gonna beat you to a pulp, and take you back to Seraphina in a body bag. You may be slippery, but I doubt you can get away when we’ve got you surrounded.”

 

Reed sighed and removed the staff from his back. He liked to avoid confrontation when possible, but he supposed he would just finish this quickly so he could go home and get something to eat. The four approached him in sync, until with a roar they charged.

 

Reed spun the staff behind him, striking the Ice crystal on the end against the ground between the two smaller boys. A crystal blossomed there, expanding until the two boys were trapped against either side of the alley, struggling futilely.

 

Returning his attention to the remaining two, Reed noticed that Babyface had a metal bat in his meaty fists. Totally barbaric and undignified.

 

“Stand back Jenny,” he said in a surprisingly high-pitched voice. He wound up and swung the bat at Reed’s head. Reed stopped it dead with his staff, holding it vertically in one hand. He dealt a quick kick to the inside of each of the massive boy’s knees, and when he stumbled back Reed swung his palm up to meet his double chin. He fell with a resounding crash, for the second time knocked unconscious by Reed.

 

A slithering of steel on leather reached Reed’s ears, and he looked up to see Jenny drawing two sharp daggers from the small of her back. Reed was a little worried, until she ran at him with both hands trailing behind, probably imitating some CCTS program’s main character. Reed held his staff like a spear, and sent out two quick jabs. The first struck her forehead, and her minimal Aura shattered in a dim flash of pink light. The second caught her on the collar bone, and there was the sharp sound of breaking bone. She dropped to the ground with a scream, clutching her shoulder.

 

Reed walked back to the ice crystal, where the two small boys were eying him with fear. They flinched when he spun the staff over his head, but he brought it down on the ice crystal, shattering it. Ice produced by dust could stay around for far longer than normal ice, and he didn’t want the two delinquents to die from frostbite. That would mean a lot of paperwork at the Town Guard headquarters.

 

As soon as they were free the two delinquents fled down the alley, yelling for mercy. Reed turned and strode out of the opposite end of the alley, deciding that he didn’t feel like cooking and could go for some curry.

 

Reed failed to notice the figure that detached itself from the shadows of the rooftop. Spiked red hair caught the moonlight as it struck out in pursuit.

  

* * *

 

 

Reed’s bag hit the ground with a puff of dirt. He and Phaedra stood on the cliff that had become their usual starting point for the days they spent in the woods. While Phaedra leaned over the rock bowl preparing to draw magma up from the earth, Reed watched the sun climb in the sky over the forest spread out below him. A flock of tiny Nevermore was outlined by the sun’s glare, the bird Grimm looking for all the world like their normal animal counter-part, except for the occasional glare of pure-white reflected off of their masks.

 

It had been a long week, and Reed was looking forward to a little stress relief. The patrols with Seraphina were wearing him down, it would do him some good to take out some of that frustration on the monsters that called the forest home.

 

The sounds of clanging metal started up behind him, indicating that Phaedra had finished setting up her temporary forge and started working on something. To his surprise, when Reed turned around his weapon was still strapped to Phaedra’s pack, a different weapon in her hands taking shape under her hammer blows.

 

One side had the square hammer head that her forge hammers all had, although it was quite a bit bigger, about the size of Reed’s palm. Rather than tapering to a ballast point at the other end like the hammer laid aside on her small anvil, the other end flared into a hatchet blade. Unlike the elegant crescent of Reed’s halberd, this ax head was flat, top level with that of the hammer end and bottom dropping to a wicked point a hand span away.

 

“What’s that?” Reed asked, walking over to inspect her handiwork. “I assumed you were making a last minute adjustment to the halberd.”

 

“Nah, I finished that up last night,” Phaedra said. “I was inspired by a dream I had last night. I realized something, what kind of blacksmith wields damn knives in battle? All that twirling and slashing, while admittedly fun, doesn’t really use the muscles I’ve trained over the years using a hammer to forge masterpieces.”

 

“Careful, don’t be too modest now.”

 

“Oh shut the hell up.” Phaedra pulled a metal rod from her bag and fixed it into a hole between the hammer and ax. She did a couple of experimental swings, nodding to herself. She walked to the edge of the clearing, stopping before a tree. It was young but by no means a sapling, as thick around as Phaedra’s waist. Grounding her feet in a wide stance she swung the ax head in a horizontal arc, the muscles in her back bulging beneath her jacket.

 

The hatchet sheered through the tree with almost no resistance. As it began to topple Phaedra swung the weapon over her head and brought it down, hammer head first, in the middle of the airborne trunk. A three-foot section of the heavy wood shattered into pieces, causing Reed to shield his face with one hand from flying splinters.

 

“ _Fuck_ yeah!” Phaedra whooped, hefting the weapon in one hand with a wicked grin. “That feels _way_ better. I will leave the twirling nonsense to fairies like you, that was as satisfying as taking a Maiden to bed for the night.”

 

“Wouldn’t the Hermit make more sense for you?”

 

“That crusty old bastard? Well, whatever, let’s get back to the real reason we’re here.” Phaedra slid the new weapon into a leather loop on her pants and swiped Reed’s weapon from her bag.

 

“I did some experimenting on adding speed to your spinning, and as usual I was correct right off the bat. Air Dust worked the best, so I added a second switch next to the first that activates crystals behind the halberd head. You can keep track of two switches at a time right?”

 

“I’m not an imbecile you know,” Reed replied, taking the halberd from Phaedra. Running parallel to where the spur would emerge two lines of small, green dust crystals had been installed. In the middle of the staff a rectangle of wood with a slight green tinge stood out next to the one that extended the blade. Running a finger across it Reed found it had a slightly different texture from the first switch, which would make it easier to discern them in the middle of a fight. It was a nice touch.

 

He took his stance, ready to test it out, but Phaedra held up a hand.

 

“Wait just a second,” she said. “That thing’s got some kick to it, and I’d rather you didn’t accidentally toss it off the damn cliff. Let’s go into the forest, there’s a clearing not too far from here.”

 

When they reached the clearing Phaedra hung back at the edge, giving Reed a thumbs up from her position behind a tree. That made Reed a little apprehensive, but he shrugged it off and set to spinning the staff in a repetitive and easy to maintain pattern. With semblance on he took a deep breath and flipped the switch with his thumb.

 

Air blasted from one edge of the staff, causing it to buck in his hands. It slipped out of his left hand, spun around the back of his right, then launched through the air and stuck in some bushes on the opposite side of the clearing. The wind cut off mid-flight, but the hard staff still did a number on the poor plant.

 

“I knew it was a good idea to install a kill switch,” Phaedra said as she walked into the clearing. “It was kind of tricky, but I managed to install a device in the staff that senses if it has left your hands. It will only activate if it is out of your hands for more than two seconds, though, so it shouldn’t affect you when you are passing it from hand-to-hand.”

 

“Keeping a grip on it is going to be tricky,” Reed said thoughtfully, picking the staff out of the bushes. “My fingers can’t move fast enough, but maybe there’s something else I can do. If you are going to hide again, do it now.”

 

“I do not hide,” Phaedra said as she stalked back to her tree. “I just like to keep barriers between me and possible death.”

 

Reed wasn’t listening, his mind back at his teacher’s school. When transitioning from intermediate to advanced staff work, students were forced to spend long days on a specific exercise. They were told to do the basic formations, but without the use of their fingers. Rather, they had to use minute adjustments in their arms and wrists to push the staff around their hands, allowing it to slide from the palm around to the back of the hand, then all the way around again. Even with Reed’s semblance granting him an advantage over the other students, the technique had taken him weeks to master.

 

This time when he spun the staff Reed kept his hands flat, moving his hands in tight circles to keep control over the staff. When he was ready he pushed his thumb down on the green switch. This time he was ready for the kick, and by pushing on the staff he was able keep the wind from pointing in one direction too long. Within a handful of seconds, the staff was a disk of blurred movement in his hands, dust flying in all directions while Reed stood in the eye of the storm.

 

When the dust had settled Phaedra stepped out from behind the tree again.

 

“Well I couldn’t see a damn thing,” she said, “but judging from the fact that you are still holding it I’m guessing you figured something out.”

 

Reed explained to her what he had done, and she nodded thoughtfully. “I can adjust the texture of the staff to make that a little easier. Gotta be careful not to make it too rough though, wouldn’t want to friction burn those dainty hands of yours.”

 

Examining his hands, Reed decided that the scars on his knuckles and the thick veins were manly enough, and her comment therefore warranted no response. They headed deeper into the woods in search of some Grimm to try out the new modification.

 

After twenty minutes of hiking a juvenile Beowolf flanked by two Creepers emerged onto the trail in front of them. The Beowolf howled as the two Creepers launched themselves out in front.

 

The two weak Grimm didn’t stand a chance. With the Halberd head extended and the Air Dust activated Reed made short work of the Creepers, two diagonal slashes sending the creatures to land in pieces behind him.

 

The Beowolf roared again, charging Reed on all four legs. As it slashed at him Reed knocked the blow high with the blunt end of his staff, a loud snapping sound coming from the limb as bones broke under the powerful blow. With the side exposed, Reed swung the Halberd head at the creature’s weak spot, it’s relatively narrow waist. The gale pushed the blade through the Grimm’s body with ease, and Reed spun his staff to a halt as it collapsed into two pieces, dissipating.

 

Reed exchanged a fierce grin with Phaedra. “That was _easy_ ,” he said, barely contained excitement making his voice an octave higher than normal. “Let’s go find some more!”

 

* * *

 

Reed sat with Phaedra at Komodo Curry, his halberd laid out on the table.

 

“The way that Creeper split in half was so fucking cool,” she said, lightly touching her finger to the row of Air crystals. “I told you the Air dust would work!”

 

“Worked like a dream,” Reed agreed whole-heartedly. “Although, it was a little strong. Is there a way to control the output, to allow a range of speeds?”

 

“You know, that’s not a bad idea. Maybe if I-”

 

Both of them jumped when a crash sounded from the front of the shop and Melony screamed.

 

Reed jerked his head up, and was horrified to see flame consuming the front of the shop. The shattered remains of a bottle lay in the center of the fire, likely a Molotov cocktail.

 

“Get out of Adigiar, you Faunus scum!” a familiar voice outside yelled, and a chorus of jeering made its way into the burning restaurant.

 

“Melony!” Reed shouted, grabbing the terrified woman by the shoulder and turning her to face him. “Grab Kat and Menlo and go out the back! Hurry!”

 

At the sound of her daughter and husband’s names Melony’s wild gaze focused on Reed’s face, and she nodded quickly. She fled into the kitchen as Reed looked around the restaurant. He and Phaedra were the only customers at the moment. He ran back to their table and grabbed the halberd.

 

“Phaedra, go out the back with Melony and the rest!”

 

“My ass!” she responded, jumping to her feet. “What are you going to do?”

 

“I’m going to put out the fire, then it’s time to end this. I was annoyed by her screwing with me, but attacking innocent people to get me to fight her is going too far!”

 

“Seraphina,” Phaedra muttered. “Well from the sound of it her ass-kissers are with her. Tell you what, I will handle her shitty cronies, that way you can focus on kicking her half-way to Mimar.”

 

Reed looked at Phaedra, and saw determination there. She and the Komodos had become friendly as their restaurant turned into Phaedra and Reed’s base, and she had proven herself more than competent fighting Grimm in the woods. He gave her a hard grin and nodded.

 

The staff spun in his hands as Reed positioned himself in front of the fire. It hadn’t spread far, but it was beginning to lap hungrily at the dry floorboards. Rather than use the Air crystals to increase his speed, Reed faced them at the fire and flipped the switch. The weapon jerked back in his hand, but Reed gritted his teeth and pushed through the resistance. He swept the staff in a horizontal swing, and a wave of air blew the fire out the window.

 

“Let’s go kick that _bitch_ _’s ass_.”


	8. Reflection

Reed and Phaedra stepped around the broken glass littering the floor of Komodo Curry. He slammed the door open, revealing Seraphina and her gang grinning maliciously at him. His fist clenched painfully on his staff, and he had to take a deep breath to keep from rushing them all at once.

 

“Finally done hiding like a pussy, Reed?” Seraphina called, cracking her knuckles. She pointed a finger to her right, and her gang moved to that side. Phaedra mirrored them, pulling the knuckle knives from her belt. She’d been working on modifying her hammer for the past couple days, and had been using the dust infused daggers as a placeholder.

 

Reed gritted his teeth. He had been taught to never initiate a confrontation. His teacher had drilled it into him, one should only commit an act of violence in self-defense. Always let the opponent strike first, and do what you need to end the fight as quickly as possible, with the least amount of pain possible.

 

Normally Reed agreed with these principles. Normally Reed followed these without question. Right now, though, his blood was up. This girl had tried to burn down his friend’s home and livelihood.

 

“ _Fuck_ self-defense,” he growled.

 

Reed advanced hard, activating his semblance slightly. Seraphina grinned in expectation as his staff spun faster and faster. Her eyes grew wary, though, as Reed flipped a switch and the head of the halberd sprung out. Reed jumped forward, spinning the halberd in a horizontal slash aimed to disembowel.

 

“Hermit shit!” Seraphina swore as she jumped back out of the way. Reed didn’t relent. Swinging the halberd at full speed he advanced, forcing her to duck, weave, and jump to avoid being ripped to pieces by the razor sharp blade.

 

She managed to get out of range long enough to regain her balance. When he pushed back in, Seraphina was ready.

 

He swung the halberd down at her shoulder, but she ducked in and caught the staff just below the blade. Her other hand was already moving, striking at his chest. He twisted the staff to block the blow, but in doing so put too much weight on his forward foot. Seraphina’s leg came in for a roundhouse kick, and her shin slammed painfully into Reed’s thigh.

 

Reed was forced to shift his weight to his back leg as his forward leg went temporarily numb. He committed fully to the movement, dragging Seraphina off balance by the hand still gripped on his staff. He twisted, catching the staff’s butt under her other arm, and drove her towards the ground. She released her grip under the blade, catching herself with the hand and vaulting back to her feet several paces away.

 

He should have figured he would need more of his semblance to deal with her. Reed poured more of his Aura into it, time slowing by twenty-five percent.

 

At medium range he had the advantage, she would have to get in close. Knowing what to look for, he saw her weight shift slightly to her back leg as she prepared to lunge. Before she had even pushed off Reed was already moving. Still, her fist barely missed him. He swung the halberd at her in a horizontal slash, forcing her to duck.

 

 

As the ax head passed over her head Seraphina attempted to get inside Reed’s guard with an uppercut aimed at his chin. Reed stepped back, swinging the butt of the staff around and smacked it into her fist as it passed in front of him. He used the strike to stop the spinning motion of the staff, and brought the end forward in a jab. He placed his entire weight behind it, feet grounded firmly. It caught Seraphina in the chest and threw her across the street into a lamppost.

 

Seraphina’s Aura absorbed most of the impact and she dropped into a ready crouch in front of the bent metal post. Her grin was gone, exchanged with the snarl of a wild animal. Suddenly Jenny, the too-thin girl who wielded twin daggers, flew through the air. Seraphina instinctively took a step to the side, and the smaller girl crashed to the ground next to her.

 

Reed spared a glance to his left, and couldn’t help but grin. Phaedra was in cyclone mode, using the Air crystals in the gauntleted daggers to create a whirling tornado that was doing quite the number on Seraphina’s lackeys. Babyface was shielding his eyes from the intense winds, and the two rat faced boys were frozen to the side of a building. As he watched, Phaedra stopped spinning and punched the ground, a yellow flash of light coming from her left dagger. A fist of rock shot out of the ground, throwing Babyface through the air and into a dumpster.

 

Returning his gaze to Seraphina, Reed saw her take the daggers from the back of Jenny’s belt and spin them in her grip. They looked much more formidable in her hands than they had in Jenny’s. She held them out to the side, in almost the same stance a Beowolf held its claws before slashing through someone’s throat. Something about that nagged at the back of Reed’s mind, but he pushed it away.

 

Blood pounded in his ears and rage threatened to take over, but he held it back. Reed let it give him power and energy, but refused to let it take over. Seraphina was too dangerous to give her that advantage.

 

They clashed again. This time she was able to get much closer by blocking Reed’s halberd head with the crossed blades of her dagger. They exchanged a furious series of blows, Reed’s preternatural perception competing with her honed instincts and animalistic tenacity. One knife slipped threw his guard, glancing painfully off his shoulder. His staff smacked into her side, forcing her to take a half step to the side. Spinning with the blow, her foot lashed out and slammed into his gut, winding him and pushing them apart again.

 

 Seraphina rushed back in to claim the advantage, but the moment gave Reed time to push his semblance into full activation. The longer the fight went on the more he was able to predict her moves, but his semblance was draining his Aura at an alarming rate. He had to finish this quickly.

 

She slashed at his face with the dagger in her right hand, and Reed spun the bottom of the staff up to knock it wide. He saw her other shoulder twitch, just before he saw that the second dagger was already angled in a stab at his face. At this rate the halberd end of his staff wouldn’t make it in time to deflect.

 

Reed grinned and flipped the green switch. Wind burst from behind the halberd head, and the weapon spun so fast that when it collided with Seraphina’s second dagger it cut clean through the blade, an inch from the hilt.

 

Seraphina staggered back in surprise as Reed advanced on her, juggling a solid disk of wind and metal. Reed spun the staff end at her head, and when she instinctively raised her arms to protect it, turned the staff so that the wind drove it down into her side. She gasped as her Aura flashed and shattered, and Reed felt at least two of her ribs break under the impact.

 

She fell to her knees. Reed deactivated the Air, then spun and kicked her in the chest, sending her sprawling on her back. He jabbed the spear tip of the halberd head against her neck almost exactly as Sergeant Tanners had, though maybe he pushed it a little deeper.

 

“Why?” he rasped. When she didn’t answer immediately he bellowed, “Dammit why?! Why would you go to such lengths to fight me? Why would you destroy a family’s home just so you could challenge me to some stupid fight? Do you really care that much about proving yourself stronger than everyone else? And for the sake of the Four Maidens why,” he pushed the point a little deeper into her neck, “Do you hate the Faunus so much?!”

 

“Because everyone hates us,” she growled, fists clenched at her side.

 

 Reed froze, the significance behind those words crashing into him. “You,” he said, then swallowed and started again, “You are part Faunus?”

 

Seraphina dropped her head to the sidewalk, teeth gritted in pain, not all of it physical. “Yes,” she said, resentment thick in her voice, “I’m half Bear-Faunus.”

 

Reed’s thoughts were scattered, anger and confusion swirling so fast it was impossible to grasp one or the other. Logic prevailed long enough for him to say, “But you don’t have any animal traits…”

 

Seraphina gave a weak laugh. “Something a lot of people don’t know, those of us that are half human, half Faunus have a small chance of being born with no animal traits. So I guess I’m one of the lucky ones. I can hide my shame.”

 

“Why, by The Hermit’s damn wrinkles, should you be ashamed of being part Faunus?”

 

“Because we are second rate citizens,” she spat. “It’s something I’ve seen my whole life. Faunus are trash, the dregs of civilization. They have the worst jobs, live in the worst neighborhoods, and are looked down on by all the high and mighty _human_ members of society. In the orphanage,” Seraphina swallowed and stopped talking, looking away.

 

Phaedra walked up at that point, arms crossed. “Keep talking.” Her voice was calm, but she looked like she wanted to call up magma to engulf the defeated delinquent.

 

Seraphina met her gaze unflinchingly, but she continued, “I was raised in a human orphanage. The only thing my parents left me was a letter, in a sealed envelope with my name on it, and instructions for it not to be opened until my fourteenth birthday. The children in the orphanage were all violent and disturbed. Strength was king. If you weren’t strong you did what you were told, or got beaten mercilessly.”

 

Seraphina’s words grew faster, as if a dam had been destroyed and now there was no way to stop the torrent.

 

“The one thing everyone was united in, though, was their hatred of the Faunus. We used to roll through town in a big group, cornering any Faunus we saw in alleys or dead end streets. I was always pretty big for my age, and one of the older guys took me under his wing, teaching me where to hit someone to hurt them the most. He would hold them down while I pummeled them, breaking bones and bruising flesh. I enjoyed those moments, because when I was hurting Faunus I wasn’t the one being bruised and battered.

 

“When I turned fourteen, though, I was given the letter my parents had left. It was your basic pathetic parent _bullshit_. ‘We are so sorry for abandoning you.’ ‘You are better off without us.’ Then, that one line at the end. The thing that shattered my world. ‘You should know that your dad is a Bear-Faunus.’ Everything I knew about the world crumbled around me. I was one of those disgusting, worthless, parasitic beings.”

 

To Reed’s shock her voice _broke,_ and she whispered, “ _I_ was trash.”

 

Reed snorted, disdain overriding any sympathy her felt at her story. “You’re trash alright, but it’s not because of your heritage. Anyone who fights for themselves, who fights for the pure sake of destroying their opponent, doesn’t deserve to be called anything less. Phaedra, call the Guard. We will let them deal with these lowlifes, I am going to go help my friends piece their shop back together.”

 

Phaedra nodded and pulled out her scroll, walking back to Komodo curry as she dialed the emergency line. Reed retracted his weapon and turned to follow her, before being pulled up short by Seraphina’s voice.

 

“Wait.”

 

Reed turned and gave her a hard look. “What.”

 

“I-” Seraphina swallowed and started again. “I’ve never met anyone like you, who is strong and fights for both humans and Faunus. Everyone fights for a reason. What’s yours?”

 

Looking at her, Reed thought about how much he should tell her. He tended to keep his past to himself. However, Reed saw no maliciousness in her gaze, just a thirst to know what drove him. He sighed and looked down the street, memories of that day pushing to the surface of his mind.

 

“I fight so that others don’t have to go through what I did. I’ve had Faunus friends for as long as I can remember, and I never liked how they were treated. I didn’t used to seek to actively protect them, though. Then, last year, my dad was killed by the White Fang.”

 

Seraphina let out a quick breath of surprise and Reed looked at her, anger surging in him again.

 

“My dad,” he said through gritted teeth, “Was one of the nicest men I’ve ever known. Say what you will about the Schnee Dust Company, no Faunus employed by _him_ was treated any differently. And yet, he was _killed._ Killed by this ridiculous, _bullshit_ notion that Faunus and people are in anyway different. He was killed by Faunus, who were trying to get back at humans for mistreating them, who mistreat them because they fear the different. He was killed because people are too blind to see that what we should be fighting is out there!”

 

Reed jabbed a finger in the direction of the town wall, breathing hard.

 

“If I ever come across any of the White Fang who are responsible for my father’s death, I will leave them bleeding and broken at my feet,” he said, voice heavy with malice, “but I don’t fight for vengeance. I fight because peace breeds peace, and war breeds war. So I will fight to stop the war, in the hopes that when we don’t have to worry about the monsters outside our walls, we will stop inventing monsters inside them.”

 

Turning, Reed stalked back to the restaurant. Phaedra waited for him at the entrance, where he turned and locked his eyes on Seraphina’s. She refused to meet his gaze.

 

“Thanks for the assist,” he said to Phaedra, nodding to the other four delinquents in various states of unconsciousness and entrapment. “I’m going to tell the Komodos it’s safe, and see if I can help them clean up. You can go home if you want.”

 

“What, and feel guilty for the rest of the night?” She said, forcing a small smile out of Reed. “I will help too.”

 

* * *

 

The next morning, Reed was furious to see Seraphina’s gang saunter in several minutes after Captain Collins’s morning speech had started. They looked no worse for the wear after last night’s encounter, other than the conspicuous absence of Seraphina. They studiously avoided his gaze as they took their place in the lines of recruits, and their late arrival earned them all an extra fifteen minutes of Captain Collins’s company as he lectured on the importance of punctuality. Ironic, since he himself had shown up to the speech ten minutes late.

 

From his place in the middle of the pack of recruits, Reed was able to subtly check his scroll without Collins being any the wiser, and brought up Adigiar’s local news site. He sifted through the column of news articles until he found one titled _Accident on Roji Street_.

 

_Late last night, the front window of a Faunus run restaurant was broken by a local group of teenagers. What was most likely an innocent prank turned sour when someone from the restaurant beat the teenagers senseless in the street. Local authorities were notified by a concerned citizen, and retrieved the teenagers for questioning and safekeeping. After determining that their injuries weren_ _’t life threatening, the Town Guard released the teenagers with a warning to be more careful in the future. The Town Guard says that the Faunus owners of the shop refused to comment on the matter._

 

Reed fumed as he read the short article. He had been there when the Guard had picked up Seraphina and her cronies. They hadn’t so much as checked on the residents of Komodo Curry. Probably because they didn’t care whether a few Faunus had been injured in the incident. Now the news article was deliberately casting the Faunus side of the story in a bad light.

 

When Captain Collins dismissed them for drills Reed toyed with the idea of cornering the delinquents before they got to the training yard. He decided against it though. It would accomplish nothing, other than being immensely satisfying. Instead he took out his anger in the training yard, breaking three dummies under furious onslaughts before Corporal Tamus got angry enough to assign him push-ups for the remainder of the session.

 

Reed was picking angrily at his food in the dining hall when he heard a movement behind him. “Reed, can I sit down for a minute?”

 

He turned around. Upon seeing Seraphina he jumped to his feet and activated his semblance. After his initial shock, he considered her appearance. She looked awful. Her left arm and right leg were in a cast, and most of her weight rested on the crutch under her right arm. A swath of bandages bound the top of her head, covering her right eye, and Reed could see assorted bandages all over her body.

 

Momentarily taken aback, Reed said, “Hermit, what the Grimm happened to you? I didn’t do all that.”

 

Seraphina shook her head. “It doesn’t matter right now,” she said, meeting his gaze for a second before looking away again. “Can I join you? There’s something I need to say.”

 

After a moment’s hesitation Reed waved to the seat next to him and sat down himself, keeping his semblance on low burn just in case she had any sort of trick up her sleeve. Seraphina glanced at him again, noticing that his eyes still smoldered with anger.

 

“So,” Reed grunted, “Out with it. Say what you came to say.”

 

“Last night,” Seraphina began, halting over her words, “was a… _unique_ experience for me. After the Guard collected us, we were released within the hour. I overheard them talking outside our holding cell, they didn’t see why they should care about some Faunus that almost got hurt. Compared with you, they seemed so weak and pathetic, completely indifferent to the plights of those around them. It made me realize I’ve never lost a fight like that.”

 

“Tanners kicked your butt handily enough,” Reed interjected, but Seraphina shook her head.

 

“That was different. That was a fight for dominance, to establish the alpha.”

 

Seraphina grimaced. “I’ve lost plenty of those, although admittedly Tanners was the first in recent years. No, with you it was different. I’ve fought people who were trying to protect something. Usually themselves, sometimes a loved one or something valuable. It made them more formidable than they would have normally been, but it was always a negligible difference. Two blows instead of one. But you, you were the first one to be both strong and possess a desire to protect.

 

“To be honest, I thought you were still weaker than me. Our fight in the alley you didn’t land a single solid hit. You took my abuse during patrols for quite a while, and even when you started avoiding them you never struck back. I assumed you were a coward, scared to get into a real fight.”

 

Snorting, Seraphina said, “Now I know I was wrong. You didn’t fight because you didn’t need to. I was tormenting you and you alone, as long as that was the case you didn’t really care.”

 

“I cared enough to learn how to avoid your attacks,” Reed commented.

 

Seraphina acted as if he hadn’t said anything. “But you were holding back that whole time. Maybe I wouldn’t have lost if the confrontation had just been about you and me, but when your friends were involved you became something on another level. The blood lust in your eyes when you walked out of that restaurant was nothing short of _terrifying_. I thought I was going to die when that ax passed within an inch of my stomach, Aura or no. The power you drew from protecting others, it was something the likes of which I had never seen before. It made me realize the shallowness of my own power.”

 

Seraphina looked up, for the first time since their fight holding his eyes with her own. “So I left the gang.”

 

Reed exhaled with a soft whistle, looking again at Seraphina’s battered form. “So the injuries…”

 

“It’s our exit ritual. Hit the person ‘til their Aura breaks, and then again for each hit their Aura took. Even after you broke my Aura in our fight, I had recovered a fair amount.”

 

“Why’d you just take it?” Reed asked, genuinely curious despite himself. “Those guys were weak. You could have destroyed them, even with the broken ribs I gave you.”

 

“Penance.” Seraphina said, gaze growing distance for a moment. “I’ve dished out that punishment more times than I care to remember. At least this way, I can say I left the gang the same way everyone else did.”

 

Reed allowed the anger he was holding inside him to drain away and released his semblance. He was still cautious, he would be a fool not to be. Still, he certainly hadn’t given her most of those injuries. Reed took a bite of his now cold food, buying himself a moment to think.

 

“I was wondering if you would be willing to take me to Komodo Curry.” The words left Seraphina’s mouth in a rush.

 

Reed’s back stiffened in surprise. He asked warily, “Why do you want to go there?”

 

“I owe them an apology,” Seraphina said, looking Reed in the eye so he could see her determination. “I owe them more than that, but it’s a start. I want you to be there so they will feel safe, and so that you can see that I mean to live by what I’ve told you. I don’t have anyone to protect yet, but until I do I will work to repair the damage I’ve already done.”

 

“Damn bitch, didn’t think you’d get all sappy on us.”

 

Reed smirked as Seraphina twitched in surprise. Phaedra dropped into the seat across from them, throwing her arms over the back of her seat. She looked casual enough, but Reed noticed the small carving knife at her belt had been loosened in its sheath. She must have been watching for a while, ready to step in if things went sour. He felt a lurch of affection for the young forger.

 

“That glass is still everywhere,” Reed said, “and we could use some help putting the new windows in. Not sure how much use you will be in your condition, but why don’t you come by after work. I’m sure your appearance will make your apology all the better.”

 

Seraphina nodded. “Thank you,” she whispered hoarsely.

  

* * *

 

 

Sergeant Tanners was waiting for Reed and Seraphina by the time they reached the North Gate. He was standing straight backed, not quite at attention, although at first glance it appeared that way. He raised an eye at the approaching figures, taking in Seraphina's injuries and Reed's relaxed demeanor.

 

"You two finally get it all out of your system?" He asked, gesturing with his chin to Seraphina's crutch.

 

"Hey, I didn't do this!" Reed said indignantly. When the sergeant turned his penetrating stare on him, Reed amended, "Well, not all of it."

 

Sergeant Tanners grinned at that. "Well," he said, "as long as I don't have to deal with the two of you fighting behind my back, I guess I won't pry too deeply. Seraphina, there's no way you can go on patrol like that. You are excused for the day. Head home and get some rest. I expect you to join us on Monday, after you've had a few days to heal."

 

"Yes sir, but..."

 

"Yes?"

 

"Well, sir, Reed and I were going to go somewhere after work. He promised to help me with something I have to do."

 

"Really?" said Tanners in a slightly interested voice. "Well then, head back to headquarters. Go to the recovery room and tell them I said for you to have a bed until the end of the day. Reed can meet you there when we are done."

 

Seraphina nodded her appreciation and began to hobble back the way she and Reed had come. Sergeant Tanners watched her retreating form with something that looked like satisfaction before turning to Reed. He waved his hand in a beckoning gesture, motioning for Reed to follow him as he exited the gate.

 

Tanners walked with his normal militaristic precision, boots striking the dirt in quick, even paces. His back was straight, his eyes forward, and his spear leaned against his right shoulder. It was easy to forget he was only a year older than Reed himself, his air was that of a much older man with many responsibilities on his shoulders. His professional nature and severity were definitely misplaced in the unscrupulous Town Guard.

 

"So how did it happen?"

 

Reed, immersed in his thoughts after walking most of the patrol in silence, started at the question. Reed looked up to find Sergeant Tanners looking at him over his shoulder.

 

"She tracked me down at a local restaurant I frequent," he explained. "We fought outside. Afterwords we talked, and I guess something I said made an impression because she left her gang shortly after. They are the ones who gave her the majority of those injuries."

 

"What do you think of her as a person?"

 

Reed could sense that there was more behind the question, and looked at the sergeant's face for a clue as to what he was thinking. The young man's face was inscrutable however, so Reed took a minute to really think it over.

 

"She's… headstrong. She’s had a hard life. Almost unbelievably hard, if I’m the first nice, capable person she has ever met. But deep down I think she craves someone to depend on, and if she ever decides that someone is worthy of her trust I imagine she would do anything for that person."

 

"I'm pretty sure she's already found someone like that," Tanners said with a knowing smirk. "Let me ask you something else. I know you've had your problems in the past, but do you think you can work with her?"

 

"I don't see why not," Reed said, frowning as he thought about it. "I managed when we were on bad terms, I imagine it would be a lot easier now."

 

"Excellent," Tanners smiled. "We were going to wait until Monday to announce it, but since you two worked out your problems I don't see any point in waiting. Reed, you and Seraphina will be the first recruits to join the Road Patrol. Congratulations."

 

Reed knew this was supposed to be exciting news, but after the expeditions into the woods with Phaedra the Road Patrol seemed unlikely to present him with too many exciting confrontations. He could feel Tanners's shrewd gaze on him, so he fumbled out a quick answer. "Oh, um, thank you sir. I will do my best."

 

Tanners turned away from him, and commented, "I've only been here a year, but in that time I always seem to be the one telling new recruits that they will be joining the Road Patrol. I've seen a multitude of reactions: fear, excitement, and anxiety to name a few. I have to say though, indifference is a new one."

 

Reed suppressed a shrug and said, "Sorry sir, I think I am just preoccupied with what's been happening with Seraphina. I hope we are able to work well together."

 

"I'm sure," Tanners said, his gaze unwavering. "Well, here comes the gate so I guess we are done for the day. Good luck with Seraphina, I have a feeling things will turn out just fine between the two of you."


	9. Road Patrol

Monday morning Reed walked down the street after lunch, Seraphina sauntering next to him, both with gun-spears held in the marching position against their shoulders. They had been told to report to the North Gate to meet up with the group of veterans that would show them the ropes of Road Patrol. Sergeant Tanners and Corporal Tamus were going to be there, along with two others to ensure the safety of the recruits.

 

Reed still felt weird walking casually with Seraphina after weeks of thinking of her as an enemy. The other night at Komodo Curry had gone well enough. Melony and Menlo hadn’t seen the ones who had assaulted their restaurant, so they hadn’t been immediately put off by Seraphina. At her confession they had grown wary, but her obvious regret and Reed’s backing had made them quick to accept her. Even though she had barely been able to walk, she had worked tirelessly for hours with Reed and Phaedra to put the shop back together. They had ordered a new window from a local glass worker, and Seraphina’s strength had been vital in lifting it into place, while Phaedra did some skilled Dust welding to secure it. By the end of the evening the store had been restored, and the Komodos had treated them all to an exceptional dinner.

 

Seraphina cleared her throat awkwardly, and Reed realized his inner reverie had caused an uncomfortable silence to fall over the pair. In an attempt to fill it, Reed said, “You, um, look like you’ve healed fully since the other night.”

 

Seraphina nodded, turning her hands and muscled arms under an inspecting eye. “Got a few new scars from it,” she said, “But everything healed correctly, so no permanent damage. My ribs were the last to heal though, and up ‘til yesterday it still hurt some to breathe.”

 

Grimacing, Reed said, “Yeah, my bad. Consider it a compliment to your fighting prowess, I felt it necessary to deal you an incapacitating strike before I even considered going for a finishing blow.”

 

She glanced at Reed out of the corner of her eye. Reed got the distinct impression that the taller girl was still analyzing him, trying to figure out what kind of person he was. Silence consumed them again, and within a few minutes they reached the gate. Tanners was already waiting for them under its arch, straight backed and professional as always, while Tamus and two others leaned against the massive open doors.

 

Reed eyed the other two “veterans” and was thoroughly unimpressed. One was a soft woman with beady eyes and lank, blond hair pulled back in a sloppy pony tail. Her uniform was rumpled and food stained, and her finger was digging so hard in her nose Reed suspected she was getting dangerously close to her brain. The other man had a distinctly unlikable face, eyes narrowed and leering at any woman who passed the gate. He was emaciated, and Reed guessed that the cigarette in his mouth was a place holder for something far more serious once he was off the clock. While Tamus’s gun-spear leaned against the wall next to him in easy reach, the other two had stuck theirs point first in the ground, dirt pressed up against the gun barrel, several paces from where they stood.

 

Reed and Seraphina strode purposefully up to Sergeant Tanners and stood at attention, waiting for him to acknowledge them. He nodded his approval before introducing the other members of the squad.

 

“Alright, pay attention everyone,” he said, his voice authoritative and drawing the attention of the other lounging guards. “These recruits are Reed and Seraphina. They have proven themselves more capable than their fellows, so they will be the first to join the Road Patrol. You two are already familiar with Corporal Tamus.”

 

The Hippo-Faunus nodded at them. “Figured you two would be the first to join us,” he said, “that is, if one of you didn’t die at the other’s hands.”

 

Reed was slightly surprised by that. Seraphina and Reed had never had it out in the Corporal’s presence, which meant Tanners must have told him about the patrols.

 

“These are Privates Katelyn and Jack,” Tanners continued, pointing at the plump woman and sneering man in turn. “They have ten years of experience apiece, and have been patrolling the roads for five of them.”

 

Reed snorted inwardly. His assessment had been right, these two had been in the Town Guard for ten years and had never been promoted beyond private. Additionally, they were stuck on wall patrol for five of those years, where it was all but guaranteed that they wouldn’t see any action. If they encountered any Grimm on their patrol, these two would probably be more hindrance than help.

 

“Today we will be patrolling the main road between here and the village of Tani to the north-east,” the sergeant continued, drawing Reed’s attention back to the matter at hand. “I will take point, with Privates Katelyn and Jack covering the flanks. Corporal Tamus, you take rear guard and keep an eye on our fresh-faced recruits. You two will be in the center. Even if a Creature of Grimm comes after our patrol you two shouldn’t have to participate in any of the fighting, but keep sharp nonetheless.”

 

With that they moved out, Sergeant Tanners setting the pace at a brisk march. They reached the edge of the Emerald Forest within a few minutes, and were soon walking down a shaded dirt road. For Reed it was a pleasant walk, the sun-dappled road extending into the distance in front of him.

 

The constant complaints of the two inadequate guards, however, soon had him grinding his teeth.

 

“I’m hungry, when’s lunch?”

 

“Couldn’t we have got one of the prettier recruits?”

 

“My feet are tired.”

 

“I mean, seriously, this one looks like a lumberjack.”

 

Private Jack was especially bothering Reed, his constant belittling remarks about Seraphina making him want to feed the disgusting little man to an Ursa. Reed opened his mouth after a particularly vulgar statement regarding Seraphina’s likely sexual preference, but Reed felt a large hand fall on his shoulder. He looked up to see Tamus standing behind him, with his finger to his lips.

 

The Corporal tip-toed behind the disgusting little man, with a stealth that belied his massive size. Tamus took the spear in two hands, with the butt pointed towards Jack, and jabbed it hard into his behind.

 

Private Jack howled as he hopped into the air, hands clasped around the seat of his pants.

 

Tamus let out a belly laugh, and said, “Oh I’m so sorry Jack, was that not to your liking? I assumed by the number of remarks you were making regarding same-sex relations that you were looking for a bit of fun along those lines.”

 

Reed and Seraphina exchanged incredulous grins, until a stern cough had them all turning towards Sergeant Tanners. He stood facing them all, the gun-spear in his hand in a dangerously casual one-handed grip.

 

“This is a patrol, not a playground,” he admonished. “Fifty push-ups a piece, Corporal Tamus and Private Jack, and from now on no talking unless it’s to point out a potentially dangerous situation.”

 

Jack grumbled and griped the whole way to the ground, but Reed caught a wink pass between Tamus and Tanners. The sergeant had to give the appearance of being fair with his squad, but the push-ups soon turned out to be a very one-sided reprimand. The large corporal belted out the punishment like it was nothing, then stood with a smirk as Private Jack struggled to finish the latter half of his reps.

 

As soon as Jack had finished his punishment Sergeant Tanners had them all marching down the road in formation again, Jack’s eye locked resentfully on the younger man’s back. He did not, however, complain. Reed knew who would win in a confrontation between the two, and so did Jack.

 

After another hour of marching the wooded road gave way to a wide clearing. Towering trees surrounded an expanse of bright green grass, waving slightly in the faint breeze winding its way through the trees. The road bisected the clearing, continuing on into the dense forest on the opposite end.

 

Tanners called a halt for the midday meal, and the group set up a small camp in the grass to the side of the road. Corporal Tamus tamped down a section of the grass and pulled a portable camp stove from his pack. Jack was sent to a nearby stream for water, and Katelyn was assigned to begin prepping the food. Tamus kept a watchful eye on her as he set water to boiling, but Reed still saw the occasional scrap of food disappear into her mouth when the corporal glanced away.

 

Reed and Seraphina were set to flattening the grass in a circle around the stove so the group could sit down in comfort. Once they finished they sat down next to each other at the edge of the circle, unsure what to do or say. Tamus and Katelyn were throwing ingredients into the pot, and soon the fragrant scent of hardy stew started to waft from the pot on the trailing steam vapors.

 

Jack sat opposite them and lit a cigarette, eying Seraphina with his beady eyes. For her part, Seraphina ignored the man’s aggressive stare. Tanners, who had been overseeing the preparation of the camp, walked up to Reed with his gun-spear in hand.

 

“On your feet, recruit,” the Sergeant said to Reed. “Grab your gun-spear and follow me.”

 

“This ought to be interesting,” Seraphina said with a smirk.

 

Reed glanced at Seraphina before snatching up his weapon from the ground and hauling himself to his feet. Reed followed Tanners twenty yards from the group before the Sergeant turned around and gave Reed an appraising look.

 

“The further we get from the town, the more likely we are to run across the Creatures of Grimm,” Tanners said, shifting his weapon into a two-handed grip. “I need to know how strong you are, so we are going to have a friendly sparring match before lunch. Depending on the results, I may have to assign one of the Privates to watch over the two of you.”

 

When Reed didn’t say anything at first Tanners raised an eyebrow at him. He quickly said, “Yes, sir, understood.”

 

Tanners nodded. “Defend yourself.”

 

With no further warning, the sergeant advanced on Reed. He was quick and with one long stride he was in range to launch a flurry of stabs at Reed. Reed tried to keep his weapon in the forms they were instructed in during drills, keeping the spear point forward and intercepting each of Tanners’s thrust with the metal head of his weapon. Soon, however, the sergeant’s onslaught gained speed and Reed found strike after strike slipping past his defenses to slap painfully against his shoulders and side.

 

Even with his semblance on full burn Reed was simply unable to move the spear fast enough to stop all of the experienced sergeant’s attacks. Conceding the Sergeant’s superiority in pure spear work, Reed began to incorporate staff techniques into his defense. Nothing that took him out of the basic spear stance, but more of Tanners’s blows started to be intercepted with the wood of the staff closer to Reed’s body, rather than the metal spear head.

 

A small smile touched Sergeant Tanners’s lips as he switched tactics. He aimed a strike at Reed’s heart, and Reed raised the middle of the staff to redirect the blow into the air. At the last second Tanners spun the tip of the gun-spear in a sideways circle, bringing the tip to smack painfully into Reed’s hip. Reed grunted and shifted his foot back, the movement opening his opposite side. Tanners pressed his advantage and brought the hilt of his staff to crash into Reed’s fingers on the forward haft of the weapon.

 

Reed’s gun-spear fell with a soft thud to the ground. Tanners stepped back and nodded to himself.

 

“Your basic spear work isn’t bad,” he said to Reed, before amending, “For a recruit. However, I’m convinced that’s not all you have to offer.”

 

Reed replied, “During your fight with Seraphina you reprimanded her for diverging from the drill-taught forms. I assumed you wished to test my pure spear work.”

 

Tanners raised an eyebrow and said, “So naturally you decided to start blocking with the shaft, like a staff.”

 

Reed felt the heat rush to his face and looked away. To his surprise the sergeant let out a low laugh.

 

“I did not reprimand her for diverging from the drills,” Tanners said. “I reprimanded her for attacking recklessly. She swung her spear like a club in a roundhouse swing, leaving the fragile wood staff exposed and vulnerable. She had no training in the weapon, that’s why I insisted she stick to the drills. She is not a tournament winning staff fighter.”

 

Reed locked eyes with the sergeant. “How did you-”

 

“Tanaka speaks very highly of you, Reed Aoki. As a former pupil of the great master, I insist you come at me with everything you have.”

 

Reed’s mind raced, realizing what he had seen in Tanners. The dangerously casual handling of the spear. The calm demeanor that somehow simultaneously conveyed absolute authority. The firm reprimands, followed closely by advice and guidance. All of the things he saw in his teacher he now recognized in Tanners.

 

Reed took a deep breath and let it out in a slow, continuous stream. He nodded to Tanners and retrieved his gun-spear, this time facing Tanners holding the back end of the weapon next to his ear, with the shaft coming down across his body, and the spear head pointed between Tanners’s feet. Tanners held his weapon in one hand, the shaft crossing his back and pointing out behind his left ear, the metal tip inches from the ground. The exact position Reed’s teacher always took at the beginning of their sparring matches.

 

Taking a step forward, Reed slashed the spear tip, aiming to slice Tanners from his right hip to left shoulder. Tanners’s hand flashed forward, his spear tip catching Reed’s and throwing it high and to the right. Expecting the counter, Reed spun the weapon in his hands and transferred the spear end to his right hand. Pulling back on the haft with his left hand he aimed another slash at the side of Tanners’s head, which Tanners’s caught between the two prongs of his spear head.

 

A gunshot detonated, and Reed’s weapon bucked in his hand as it was thrown to the side. Reed had expected the Sergeant to catch his attack with the wooden end of his weapon, and stumbled at the unexpectedly powerful parry. He quickly regained his balance, just in time to side-step an overhand blow aimed at his shoulder.

 

Blocking a complicated set of swings and thrust, Reed looked for an opening in Tanners’s defense. His guard was good, but even the best fighters slipped up eventually.

 

Tanners’s elbow dropped and his spear head rose slightly, indicating the start of a hilt sweep. Reed leaped at the chance, spinning his own spear to strike at the side Tanners was about to leave open.

 

A smirk flicked across Tanners’s face, and he slammed the spear head down on the incoming shaft. Reed cursed inwardly at falling for the feint, as the butt of Tanner’s spear connected painfully with his shoulder.

 

“You react quickly,” Tanners said, as Reed rolled with the impact. “But sometimes you need more time to determine whether an attack is authentic. Don’t jump the gun.”

 

Tanners did not relent, pursuing Reed even as he admonished him. Reed had barely gained his feet before the sandy-haired man was on him, a series of thrusts keeping Reed off balance.

 

Reed focused on the man’s upper body, letting a thrust slip uncomfortably close to his side in order to regain his footing. He pushed the spear-head wide with the shaft, and pointed his own at Tanners’s chest. Seeing the sergeant prepare to intercept the blow with the shaft of his weapon, Reed found the dual triggers on the staff and pressed them. The bullet bounced harmlessly off of Tanners’s Aura, but the change in momentum allowed Reed to reorient. Seeing an opening, Reed grinned and thrust the tip at Tanners’s face, pushing his weight into the blow.

 

“Good improvisation!” Tanners said, shifting his weight so the blow passed harmlessly through the air to the left of his head. His hand snapped up and grabbed Reed’s spear just below the head. Pulling on it, he dragged Reed forward and planted the butt of his own spear in Reed’s armpit, sliding it through the small opening between Reed’s arm and side. His foot flashed out and swept Reed’s own from under him, and Reed was driven painfully to the ground. He tried to rise, but Tanners kept his weight on the shaft that pinned Reed to the ground.

 

“You are too confident, though. You thought you won with that strike, so you didn’t fire the gun to recover. Never assume that a blow will be the last, always be prepared to keep fighting. Some Grimm can fight far beyond what a human would be capable of, I’ve seen them shrug off dismemberment like it was a mere inconvenience. However, with your level of skill it would be a waste to restrict you to basic spear stances. Fight as you see fit, just make sure to stick close to your team mates and don’t get cocky.”

 

Tanners removed his pin and offered a hand to Reed. Giving him a small self-deprecating grin, Reed accepted the proffered hand, and Tanners hauled him to his feet. The sergeant handed Reed his weapon back, and the two headed back to where Tamus was divvying up the afternoon meal.

 

Seraphina was smirking at the other two Privates, who were staring in open mouthed astonishment at Reed. Jack recovered first and looked away, refusing to acknowledge that he had been impressed by Reed’s display. Katelyn however shamelessly continued to stare, eying Reed’s medium build with a new hungry gleam in her eyes. Uncomfortable at the region she appeared to be focusing on, Reed put Seraphina between him and the food stained private and accepted a steaming bowl of stew from Tamus.

 

“You faired way better against Tanners than I did,” Seraphina said, her tone somewhere between annoyance and respect. “I could barely even follow what was happening, it was all so fast. When I fought with him I didn’t get anywhere close to landing a blow on him, but the way you guys were going at it I wasn’t sure who would win.”

 

Reed shook his head. “It may have looked close,” he said, “but the sergeant was in control the whole time. If he had wanted he could have taken me out from the beginning, I think he just wanted to see what I would do if I saw how he used the gun-spear. He certainly gave me a lot to think about.”

 

Digging into his stew, Reed pondered the revelation that Tanners had also trained under his teacher.

 

Reed had been going to his master’s school for almost a decade, but he had never seen Tanners before. That being said, the young man was unmistakably his teacher’s pupil, and judging by his perfect replication of Tanaka’s style had been a dedicated student for many years. There were, however, several differences that stood out to Reed. Tanners did not hesitate to begin a confrontation, and was not above using pain as a motivator. He also seemed to possess an instinctual understanding of using the gun embedded in the Town Guard’s spears to maximum effect. Reed had never even considered using a bullet to parry a blow before.

 

Reed looked at Tanners across the circle. He was talking with Tamus animatedly about some shared event in their past. The Hippo-Faunus gave Tanners an affronted look, to which the smaller man burst out laughing.

 

All the casual danger seemed to be gone from him, but Reed saw that his eyes never stayed still, constantly searching their surroundings. His hand was never far from the haft of his weapon, and his seemingly casual sprawl on the ground concealed tensed muscles ready to spring into action at a moment’s notice. Reed wondered what experience the young man could possibly have had in the Town Guard to make him so ready to fight at the drop of a hat.

 

“Sergeant Tanners?” When Tanners turned to him, Reed continued, “If you don’t mind my asking, sir, why are you a member of the Town Guard? That was some truly marvelous spear work, I’m sure that Vale’s army would love to have a skilled recruit such as yourself.”

 

The grin on Tanners face didn’t disappear, but it became a fixed thing, devoid of emotion. “I could ask you the same thing, Private. I’m sure you have your own reasons for joining the Guard rather than the military, and I have mine.”

 

“Oh come now Sarg,” Tamus cut in, adding a belittling inflection to the shortened title. “It’s no big secret, is it?”

 

Turning to Reed and Seraphina, the corporal continued, “Felix here is part of the famous militant Tanners family. They are trained from birth to be excellent soldiers, receiving extensive training in leadership and combat that us mere commoners would never be able to afford.

 

“Vale may not have as large a military as other countries, but the Tanners family assures that the forces we do have are the best of the best, short of Hunters of course. He was actually already a captain in the Forever Fall Squad for several years before coming here.”

 

Seraphina let out a low whistle and said, “That makes even less sense then. What the Grimm are you doing with us?”

 

Tanners gave Tamus a hard look out of the corner of his eye. “It is customary for Tanners children to enroll in the protecting forces of a town for two years upon reaching adulthood. We start as recruits and work our way up the chain of command through our own merit, no special treatment. This gives us the opportunity to learn how a town’s forces are run, which is vastly different from the strict lifestyle of the army. It also gives us a chance to seek out new recruits with potential and bring them back with us to the front lines.

 

“It is not, however, applicable to our current situation. I am your sergeant, you all are my squad, and we are here to patrol the roads for Grimm. That is all.”

 

The sergeant looked away, clearly indicating that, as far as he was concerned, the conversation was over. Reed’s gaze was drawn to the larger man next to him, who despite his unsuppressed grin was a little tenser than he had been before the conversation.

 

Curious about Tamus’s past as well, Reed asked, “What about you, corporal? What’s your reason for joining the guard?”

 

“Not all that interesting really,” Tamus replied, shrugging. “As a Faunus, and one of rather intimidating stature, I had a hard time fitting in. Every time I tried to get a job people would either make hasty excuses to end the interview as fast as possible, or assume I was there to rob them and call the Guard. Even a lot of Faunus weren’t particularly thrilled at the idea of me working for them. Bad for business, I would imagine, if the customers are scared silly of an employee. It was either the guard or become a hoodlum.”

 

Seraphina shifted uncomfortably at the statement, but Reed wasn’t satisfied.  “Again, though, you are in a class above most of the guardsmen,” he said. “Did you ever consider applying to the Hunter academies or directly with the military?”

 

“I have a family in Adigiar,” Tamus said, looking Reed in the eyes. “One I provide for. Hunters may make a good living, but those training to become one do not. The Town Guard pays me enough that I can take care of them, and that’s enough for me.”

 

Reed thought about asking Tamus more about his family, but decided that he had pushed the corporal enough for one day. He returned to his meal, until the hairs at the nape of his neck started to prickle. He looked up to see Jack glaring at him over his bowl as he tilted it back and drained the remaining contents with a large swallow.

 

Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, Jack said, “Well? Aren’t ya gonna ask me and Katelyn here why we joined the Guard?”

 

Reed shrugged. “Sure,” he said, “why?”

 

“The hell is that?” Jack said, his voice growing louder. “You think you’re hot shit, don’t you Aoki? That you are better than the two of us? Well let me tell you something, you little runt. All that fancy spinning may have impressed the sergeant, but I bet you don’t survive you’re first encounter with a Grimm. It takes a strong mind to stare down one of those monsters and choose to fight over run.”

 

“Oh please, Jack,” Katelyn said in a simpering voice, “Reed here looks plenty strong. Didn’t you see the definition of his muscles when he was sparring with the sergeant? I bet he looks even better without…”

 

“That’s quite enough,” Tanners cut in, to Reed’s relief. “Time for chitchat is over. Break down camp and get ready to move. We still have an hour’s march to Tani, and then a three hour march back. Let’s go people.”

 

They stowed their camping equipment and were making their way to the opposite side of the clearing within five minutes, marching in strict formation. As they reached the tunnel of interlacing tree branches another patrol walked into the clearing. This patrol was only four strong and was moving at a sluggish pace, guards chatting casually as they walked in an uneven line. The sergeant in command gave Tanners a lazy nod as they passed, which Tanners returned with a stiff nod of his own, face set in a neutral mask.

 

As they walked the path began to slope upwards. At first it was hardly noticeable, but by the time half an hour had passed Reed was starting to feel his calves getting sore. Jack’s face was set in an irritated grimace, and sweat poured down Katelyn’s face and seeped through her uniform. Tanners and Tamus seemed unaffected by the steep road, breathing even and faces expressionless. After another quarter hour of marching the group walked around a bend in the trail and the trees opened up, the land outside basking in the afternoon sunlight.

 

Rows upon rows of neat rice paddies extended before them, sectioned off by low lines of bushes and climbing upwards in step like plateaus.  Villagers bent double in the paddies were hard at work harvesting the crops, and old fashioned wooden hand carts stood at intervals along the roads. Several farmers stood near these carts, either unloading their cargo from the woven baskets slung across their backs or taking a well-deserved respite before returning to their arduous labor.

 

Tanners’s group marched up the road to the small town perched at the top of the hill. It was mostly a collection of homes, black solar panels lined the roofs of the wood-slatted buildings and most of the doors and windows were thrown open in an attempt to let out the heat of the day. A large building in the center of town was the only one made of stone, consisting of four wings extending from a circular intersection with a simple clock tower rising from it. 

 

Tanners went in to check in with the on-duty guard in the large building, which Tamus explained as Tani’s town hall. The rest of the squad dropped onto the benches that lined the side of the building, interspersed with bushes of flowering plants a myriad of colors.

 

Reed and Seraphina claimed one for themselves, Katelyn and Jack did likewise, while Tamus chose to lounge in the shade of a nearby tree.

 

Seraphina lounged on the bench, one arm thrown over the back. As the silence stretched on Reed’s neck began to itch, thinking of the muscular arm behind him.

 

“So…” Seraphina said, dragging the word out. “Why does a scrawny kid in the Town Guard have a Hunter-class halberd?”

 

“Uh, that’s-” Reed paused, not sure how to answer. “Mostly luck, I guess, if I’m being honest. Phaedra saw me practicing with the gun-spears after drills. She’s been looking for a Hunter to test her weapons for a while, but I guess she was having trouble getting anyone to listen to her.”

 

Seraphina snorted at that. “I’m sure that had more to do with her personality than any lack of forging skill.”

 

Reed grinned at that. “Perhaps. Anyway, when I expressed an interest in going into the woods to fight Grimm she asked, demanded really, that I work with her. I don’t think she thought very highly of me, though, until I told her I beat a pack of Creepers with a staff her-”

 

“Whoa, hold up a second,” Seraphina spun to look at him, and Reed was uncomfortable at the intensity of her stare. “You’ve already killed Grimm? With a _stick_?”

 

“It was a combat staff,” Reed objected, “Made of treated wood, and equipped with an Ice crystal.”

 

Seraphina waved a hand dismissively. “Whatever. What else have you fought? Beowolfs? Ursai? Boarbatusks?”

 

“A couple juvenile Beowolfs, but nothing bigger than that.”

 

“With a stick.”

 

“By then I had a prototype of the halberd, though at first it didn’t have the Wind enhanced speed.” 

 

Seraphina grunted. “No wonder. I was confused how you remained so calm when we fought. Compared to fighting for your life, though, I bet our little spat seemed low stakes.”

 

Reed was somewhat taken aback by the bitter tone in her voice. Was she annoyed that he had more real combat experience than her?

 

“I wouldn’t say that. I honestly didn’t know if I could win, but I couldn’t really leave it alone after…” Reed drifted off awkwardly.

 

“After I broke in the Komodos’ window,” Seraphina said, bluntly. “After you saw me beating a Faunus boy in an alley, and rightly assumed I would do the same to your friends.”

 

Seraphina leaned forward, hands clenched on her knees. Her next words were barely louder than a breath, obviously not meant for him.

 

“Maidens, what have I been doing…”

 

“Uh, Seraphina, I-”

 

“Don’t.” Seraphina stood quickly. She snatched her gun-spear from where it leaned against a wall and walked several paces away.

 

Tanners exited the town hall several minutes later, and soon the group was making its way back into the merciful cool of the shaded forest road.

 

The first part of the march back passed in silence. Reed glanced periodically at Seraphina. She marched in rhythm, but her eyes were planted firmly on the ground, their expression distant.

 

They passed the spot where they had taken their lunch, walking through the clearing without stopping and continuing through the forest on the other end.

 

Jack’s boots started to strike the ground with increasing strength and the sound of his teeth grinding grew louder. Finally he spun on Reed and shouted, “You are really irritating me, you know that Aoki?”

 

Reed, preoccupied with Seraphina’s unusual behavior, looked at him in surprise. “How’s that? I haven’t even said anything since we left Tani.”

 

“Exactly!” Jack said, pointing an accusing finger at Reed. “This is your first patrol, walking through Grimm infested territory, and yet you aren’t even a little bit put off! You just keep strolling languidly, like you don’t have a care in the world. Like even if a giant Nevermore dropped out of the sky and swallowed you whole, you would just wander out its ass and continue on your merry way. You are a cocky fool, Aoki, and honestly I hope we get attacked just so I can see that smug smirk wiped off your insolent little face!”

 

Seraphina finally glanced up from her reverie, her grip growing tighter on her gun-spear.

 

“Jack, calm down,” Katelyn said, looking nervously around them.

 

“To dust with that!” Jack’s voice was growing steadily louder, and Tanners spun on him, fire in his eyes.

 

“Listen to Private Katelyn, Jack,” Tanners said, his voice low and warning. “Reed has done nothing to antagonize you.”

 

“Go to the Grimm, Sarg,” Jack spat. “Just because the new kid is teacher’s pet doesn’t mean I have to lick his boots. I have been on this patrol for five years, I have seniority! But I could see it in that bastard’s eyes, he wrote me off the moment he saw me. Me and Katelyn both. He’s nothing but a child who needs to learn respect for his elders!”

 

Jack continued to rant, but Seraphina, Reed, Tanners and Tamus all froze, standing stock still. The experienced fighters sensed that something had changed in their surroundings, and felt hostile eyes watching them from the surrounding foliage.

 

“Combat formation!” Tanners shouted, drowning out Jack’s continued tirade. “Recruits in the middle, Tamus eyes back. Jack, shut your dusting mouth. You and Katelyn keep an eye on the forest.”

 

Reed could see the fear in Katelyn’s stance as she gripped her gun-spear too tightly and jerked her head left and right, trying to cover the entire side of the trail at once.

 

Three creepers launched themselves at her from the bushes, a similar number engaging Jack, while two pairs of juvenile Beowolfs stepped onto the path in front of Tanners and Tamus.

 

Tanners engaged the Beowolfs in front of him, gun-spear a blur of movement as he deflected blows. The monsters retreated as Tanners’s weapon fired again and again, and Tanners pushed in close.

 

Tamus took a more hands on approach with his pair, catching one Beowolf’s wrist and slamming it bodily into the other.

 

Jack, to his credit, managed to hold off two of the Creepers facing him, his spear darting in and out in textbook stabs and gun-assisted retracts. Seraphina engaged the other Creeper, her face twisted in determination, and her powerful attacks knocking it back as it repeatedly threw itself at her.

 

Katelyn was less fortunate. She was looking in completely the wrong direction when the three Creepers leapt from the thick brambles along the path. They fell on her in unison, her aura shattering under the assault. Her scream cut off with a gruesome gurgle as one of the Creepers latched its fanged mouth around her throat.

 

Reed was already in motion, running towards the Creepers, but he knew it was too late for the unfortunate woman. All he could do was hold the line so Seraphina didn’t get attacked from behind.

 

The Creepers were distracted mutilating the corpse beneath their clawed front paws, and Reed was able to dispatch one immediately with a thrust of his gun-spear. The head of the weapon bit deep into the mask, and it let out a pained howl before Reed detonate the gun, blowing the monster’s head to black mist.

 

The other two creatures oriented on him, letting out aggressive snarls. Reed spun the spear head in an underhanded circle, slashing the sharp point up and through the second Grimm’s head. Its body fell where it had stood, misting out of existence, as the third pushed itself off the ground using its thick tail. Reed spun the staff in his hand and the blunt end caught the creature under its chin, snapping its head back and exposing its unarmored underside. Reed pushed off with his back foot and ran it through, firing the gun until the bullets blasted all the way through the stocky creature’s body.

 

“Reed look out!”

 

At the sound of Seraphina’s voice Reed threw his semblance into full burn. He turned with agonizing slowness and saw four Creepers flying through the air towards him. Tamus had been drawn out by the Beowolfs he was engaged with, leaving the flank Reed had thought covered defenseless.

 

Reed knew he could sustain several hits from each of those Creepers before his Aura would give out, but his stance was bad, and he would be hard pressed to ward off four enemies from his current position.

 

A roar blasted from the side of the road, its intensity causing the ground under Reed’s feet to vibrate. His eyes moved in shock to where Seraphina had stood a moment before.

 

A towering bear stood in her stead, at least eight feet tall, with translucent fur made of shimmering strands the same blood-red as Seraphina’s hair. Its eyes were fiery pits of rage as it leapt through the air, ground shattering beneath its feet.

 

One enormous paw entered the space between Reed and the approaching Grimm. As the bear landed on three feet the raised paw slashed through the air. No noticeable parts were separated from the Creepers, rather all four immediately burst into black mist. The visage of the bear shimmered and vanished, leaving Seraphina face-down and unconscious on the road.

 

Reed was wrenched from his shock by more rustling in the trees as more juvenile Beowolfs darted onto the road, glowing red eyes intent on Seraphina’s prone form.

 

Reed glanced to either side. Tanners had just succeeded in spearing the last monster in front of him through the eye, but he was at least ten yards away. Tamus was looking in horror at what his lapse in formation had caused and was running towards Reed and Seraphina, but his fight had taken him too far to be of immediate assistance. Jack was laughing maniacally as he stabbed a pinned Creeper repeatedly with a dagger he had pulled from who knows where, completely oblivious to the rest of his surroundings.

 

Setting his jaw in a stubborn grimace, Reed placed himself over Seraphina and started spinning the spear. The first Beowolf closed the distance as a second, then a third, then a _fourth_ , emerged from the trees.

 

Roaring, the closest Beowolf raised its fore-paw to slash at Reed. He took advantage of the opening, aiming a round-house slash at the monster’s waist.

 

The spear-head barely nicked the flesh.

 

Reed fired the gun and moved into a block, cursing the inferior weapon. His halberd would have slashed straight through the Beowolf’s thin waist.

 

Leveraging the weapon against the press of the Beowolf’s claws, Reed slipped the spear under the monster’s chin and fired. The mask shattered and the creature fell.

 

It had taken too long, though, and now Reed was surrounded on three sides by the other Beowolfs. He was forced to give up the offensive as six clawed, flailing limbs lashed out at him in unison.

 

He started to panic as first one blow, then another slipped past his whirling staff to slam into his Aura. He just couldn’t keep an eye on all of them at once, and with a howl of frustration Reed pushed at the boundary of his semblance.

 

To his shock, time seemed to slow even further. Judging by the speed with which the limbs now appeared to be moving, he had somehow pushed beyond his normal ability, and slowed his perception of time to a quarter of normal. Even though his eyes felt frozen in place, he could pick out the clawed paws of the monsters in his peripheral vision, and made slight changes to his defensive form to block each as it came in range.

 

It felt like an eternity that he stood there, staff rising slowly to meet claw, weight suddenly pushing on the haft in his hands as he strained his muscles to throw the offending limbs away. How he wished that he had his halberd’s Dust assisted speed. With the wind crystals embedded in the staff he would have been able to do something other than just defend against the Grimms’ onslaught.

 

His vision started to blur, and Reed realized this new speed was draining his Aura at an alarming rate. Soon he would pass out, leaving both himself and Seraphina defenseless before the ravenous monsters.

 

The Beowolf on the left twitched violently as a spear suddenly pierced through its arms and into the side of the beast, pinning the limb. A moment later Tanners’s spear flashed in from the right, lopping off the right Beowolf’s paw.

 

The sergeant darted in between Reed and the monster with a snarl, and with a massive heave drove the spear up through the bottom of the Grimm’s chin. He ripped it out with a pair of gun-shots, then spun the weapon over Reed and beheaded the monster directly in front of him.

 

Tamus’s massive fist slammed into the hilt of the spear in the side of the other Beowolf, driving the spear all the way through the monster’s midsection. As the monster leaned its head back in an agonized howl Tamus reached a hand up and grabbed it around the muzzle. Sliding one foot behind its rear legs, Tamus hauled the monster over his thigh and smashed it head first into the ground, its mask shattering into bone white shards in the Faunus’s hands.

 

The clearing fell quiet as Reed released his semblance with a gasp and dropped to his knees. He collapsed backwards and his head landed on the small of Seraphina’s back as he panted and the world blurred around him. Tanners’s and Tamus’s concerned faces swam into view, and every time they opened their mouth a ringing sounded in Reed’s ears. He saw Tamus pull out his scroll, and through the holographic display Reed could just barely make out the Town Guard’s emergency line.

 

Then his vision faded to black.


	10. Two Becomes Three

As Reed slowly returned to consciousness he was relieved to find that the pounding in his head had subsided somewhat. His head felt like it was full of fluffy white clouds, light and lacking any real substance. He laid there for a long while, until the realization that he was lying down seeped into his mind.

 

With that one realization came a series of questions. Where was he lying down? Why was he lying down? Surely he had something better to be doing. He could be practicing with Halmvoulge at Phaedra’s forge, or sparring with his teacher. Even hanging out with Seraphina would be better than lazing around, they would be going out on road patrols after all-

 

Reed sat bolt upright, wincing as pain and memories filled his head in equal measure. The hulking forms of Beowolfs flashed in his mind, their razor claws seeking to tear into his flesh, the flesh that was the only thing stopping them from descending on Seraphina…

 

Seraphina.

 

Reed turned his head frantically from side to side, ignoring the protests of his stiff neck and shoulders. He was in what looked like an infirmary, two rows of neatly made beds shining blindingly white in the light of the setting sun, visible out a large window at the end of the room.

 

Tanners, Tamus, and Phaedra sat on his right, all of them looking startled at his sudden movement. When he glanced to his left, Reed relaxed. Seraphina laid in the bed next to him, still except for the slow rise and fall of her chest.

 

“By the damned Maidens, Reed!” Phaedra’s outcry was punctuated by a solid punch to his shoulder, causing him to wince. “What the fuck is wrong with you! Sitting up from a dead sleep like that, you scared us half way to Mimar! To think we were getting ready to call a nurse to check on you, and all the while you were getting ready to just pop up like a toddler from a nap.”

 

“Sorry Phaedra,” Reed grinned, before a wave of exhaustion struck him. His vision blurred, and he eased himself back onto the pile of pillows behind him.

 

“Take it easy, recruit,” Tanners said in a concerned voice. “Phaedra has told us about your semblance, and I can extrapolate what happened from there. I’m betting you’ve never strained it that far, you need time to rest and recover.”

 

Reed grunted in agreement, allowing his body to sink lower into the bed. “What about the others?” he asked, as he remembered the sight of Katelyn lying on the ground covered in her own blood. “Is Katelyn dead?”

 

Tanners dropped his gaze for a moment before looking back at Reed. “Yes, she is.”

 

Reed felt a pang of guilt. He hadn’t been fond of the dirty woman, but he had been less than five paces from her when she had gone down. He should have been able to do something.

 

“That’s enough of that, Reed,” Tanners said sharply, and Reed looked up in surprise. The young sergeant’s eyes were hard and his mouth was set in a determined grimace.

 

“I recognize that look in your eyes. There’s nothing you could have done for her. She panicked and forgot her training. We are lucky you are more capable than her, otherwise others may have died when your line fell. You did well.”

 

Reed let out a long sigh and nodded, pushing the guilt away. He couldn’t get rid of it that easily, but he resolved to learn from it and not let it wear him down. Reed looked past Tanners, and for the first time noticed that Tamus was refusing to look at him. He had his head turned away and his eyes downcast. Occasionally he would glance at Seraphina’s cot, but whenever he did he would flinch and look away.

 

“Corporal?” Reed asked tentatively. “Is something wrong?”

 

“This is all my fault,” Tamus said. His voice was ragged and his head was still bowed. “If I hadn’t gone after that Beowolf and waited for it to come to me I could have helped you sooner. Poor Katelyn was a lost cause, but my carelessness almost cost the Town Guard its two most capable recruits.”

 

Tanners sighed. “Henry, we talked about this. A battlefield is full of unknowns, who would have thought that one patrol would meet four Beowolfs and a small horde of Creepers? These numbers are unheard of in recent years, you did what you thought was best by engaging a stronger enemy.”

 

“Yeah, not your fault it almost killed a couple of green recruits,” Phaedra said in a mocking tone. Tamus groaned and dropped his head into his hands. Reed chuckled softly, amused despite himself at how easily Phaedra could torment a man three times her size.

 

“Take it easy, Phaedra,” Reed told her, a ghost of a smile still on his lips. “Tamus is a good man, and I hope to fight with him again in the future. Just, you know, maybe next to him next time.”

 

Tamus uncovered his face, and Reed saw that a small smile had broken through his chagrin. Turning his head to look at the prone form next to him, Reed asked the group, “How is she doing? Has she woken up yet?”

 

“Not yet,” Tanners said, voice calm. “That was an amazing display she put on, but it drained her aura in an instant and strained her body to its limit. The physician said she should wake sometime tomorrow, once her Aura has had a chance to recover.”

 

Phaedra smirked and said, “It’s gonna be a lot harder for her to hide her heritage now. Once word gets around that she can turn into a giant glowing bear, people will put the pieces together. She already looks like an animal when she fights.”

 

Tamus shot Phaedra a dirty glance and opened his mouth to retort, large flat teeth flashing.

 

Reed quickly cut him off and said, “She’s not trying to hide anymore, Phaedra. I’m sure it will take her a while to fully accept who she is, but she told us her secret of her own volition.”

 

“Only after you beat the hell out of her,” Phaedra said.

 

“Point,” Reed acknowledged, “But it’s the first step.”

 

The group fell quiet for a time, and Reed’s eyes started to droop. He was enjoying the company of the others, but it felt like his eyelids were made of lead. Tanners noticed that Reed was struggling to stay awake and stood, gesturing to the others.

 

“We should go and let Reed sleep. Take the week off, recruit. If you feel up to it, you can join the rest of the recruits Thursday for drills. Sleep well.”

 

With that, the three of them filed out. Phaedra was the last to leave, pausing in the door and giving Reed a worried look. He smiled tiredly and waved at her, which she returned before closing the door softly behind her. Reed was asleep before the sound of their retreating footsteps faded. 

 

* * *

 

 

Reed leaned in the entrance to the Town Guard Headquarters, checking the time on the glowing display of his scroll. It was almost five o’clock on the Saturday after his disastrous first road patrol. He was waiting for Phaedra to get off work so they could go to Komodo Curry and plan their expedition for the following day.

 

Reed had barely seen Seraphina in the last week. When he had woken Tuesday morning she had been lying on her back staring at the ceiling. Other than asking Reed to fill her in on the events following her black-out she had remained quiet, answering his questions with grunts and monosyllabic responses.

 

He had been dismissed after one final check-up, but Seraphina had been asked to stay in the infirmary for further observation. He hadn’t seen her all week. Reed was surprised, therefore, when he looked up and saw Seraphina walking down the hall, headed right for him.

 

As she drew closer, Reed called out, “Hey Seraphina, glad to see you up and about. How are you feeling?”

 

“Fine,” she said shortly, looking at a spot on the wall next to Reed and scratching the back of her head. “Actually, I was released the day after you. I just… I had some thinking to do, so I took the week off to ‘recover at home.’”

 

She put air quotes around the last part.

 

“Well,” he said, “if you took the week off, what are you doing here? You could have milked a couple more days before coming back on Monday.”

 

“Actually I wanted to talk to you, and I figured you would be meeting Phaedra after she got off work.” There was a hard note to her voice when she said the forge apprentice’s name, and Reed wondered if there was some sort of tension between the two girls. “The thing is, before the other day, I had no idea what my semblance was.”

 

This surprised Reed. Most people discovered their semblance as children and had an instinctual understanding of how to use it. He had never heard of someone discovering their semblance as an adult.

 

“As a kid,” Seraphina continued, “I passed off my super human reflexes as my semblance. For years I believed that to be the case, until I got the letter describing my parentage. After that I assumed I was a freak, the only person ever to not have a semblance. It would keep me up at night, worrying that the other children at the orphanage would find out and think me weak for it. If there was one thing you didn’t want to do in that hell hole, it was show weakness.

 

“After years and years of inner struggle I had finally accepted my lot in life, content to let people think that I had a supernatural awareness of my surroundings and couldn’t be snuck up on. The other day destroyed that.”

 

“I would have thought you would be thrilled,” Reed said. “I mean, that was awesome! You saved me from those Creepers, and I’m sure with practice you will be able to maintain it longer and not knock out right after.”

 

Seraphina shook her head slightly. “It wasn’t just the unexpected appearance of my semblance. The circumstances that triggered it were something I had never felt before. Standing there on that road, with you just out of reach and about to be mauled by a pack of Creepers. For the first time in my life, I was scared to lose something. For the first time, there was something I desperately wanted to protect.”

 

Seraphina’s cheeks took on a red tinge, and Reed looked away in embarrassment. Whatever he had been expecting, it definitely wasn’t that.

 

“But I wasn’t strong enough,” she said, fists clenching at her side. “I got rid of a couple of weak enemies that wouldn’t have done any real damage through your Aura, then passed out just before the much stronger Grimm appeared. Despite how much I wanted to protect you, I ended up being protected instead.”

 

“That’s not entirely true.” Reed said. “If you hadn’t taken out those Creepers, they may have distracted me from the Beowolfs and allowed them to get me from behind. All I had to do was delay them long enough for Tamus and Tanners to get there and finish them off.”

 

“And it nearly killed you!” The intensity of her voice shocked Reed. He glanced at her, and saw that the pink eyes fixed on the wall were angry.

 

“When I woke up in the infirmary and saw you in the bed next to me, there was a horrible moment when I was sure it was your corpse there. That you had died to protect me. That the one who had shown me that there was more to life than being a petty criminal had died on some back road protecting some stupid girl unable to fend for herself.

 

“When I finally noticed that you were breathing, I was so relieved. But more than that, I felt resolve. Resolve that I wouldn’t let it happen again. Resolve that next time I wouldn’t need saving, that next time we would fight side-by-side against the Grimm. That’s why I have a request.”

 

Seraphina looked at Reed, and her eyes were hard and unmoving. “I want you to take me with you and teach me how to fight Grimm.”

 

Reed’s mind raced as he processed all the information Seraphina had dumped on him. He was uncomfortable at how much she appeared to look up to him. He had still been coming to terms with the fact that she didn’t want to kill him anymore, while apparently she had decided that Reed was someone worth risking her life for. He felt guilty that he had been half expecting her to turn around and clock him on their patrol.

 

“Come on, two fighters are better than one, right?” Seraphina said. Reed’s guilt intensified at the pleading note in her voice, realizing that he had taken too long to respond and given the impression that he didn’t care for the idea.

 

“Yeah, of course you can come,” Reed said quickly.

 

The tension drained out of Seraphina, and she let out a relieved sigh. She leaned back against the wall and closed her eyes, a small smile on her lips.

 

“Do I have any say in this?”

 

Phaedra rounded a nearby corner, her voice causing Seraphina to jump. Her light blue hair was out of its usual pony tail, hanging an inch or so above her shoulders. She had traded out her forge uniform for her normal street clothes; black leather pants, sturdy boots, and a blue tank top under a leather jacket with the sleeves rolled up.

 

“She won’t disrupt our usual activities,” Reed promised. “Think of it this way, now you have two people to test your experiments.”

 

“Not a bad point,” Phaedra said, looking at Seraphina with the look she gave Reed when she was trying to decide what modifications would best suit his fighting style. Seraphina shifted uncomfortably at the scrutiny, but squared her shoulders and withstood Phaedra’s searching gaze.

 

“Fine,” Phaedra grunted, “But I refuse to just make you one of those shitty gun-spears. I deal with enough of that bullshit during the day. We can discuss what would suit you at dinner, I’m starving.”

 

* * *

 

The bell above the door jingled as Reed, Phaedra and Seraphina walked into Komodo Curry. The dinner rush was in full swing, Melony frantically darting between tables taking orders as little Kat wove through the aisles with platters of food balanced on her head.

 

Upon seeing them Melony smiled, attempting to slide a “reserved” card off of their usual booth at the back without Reed noticing. Even though they were packed and had people waiting outside she knew Reed and Phaedra always came by Saturday evenings after work, and had made sure their booth was ready for them.

 

“Hey you three!” Melony said. Seraphina twitched guiltily. She had been attempting to hide her greater than six-foot frame behind Reed and Phaedra, an amusing if futile prospect. “You’re in luck, your usual booth is open. Reed if you would be a dear and just tell Menlo when you know what you want.”

 

Reed smiled and gave her a quick side hug as she slid past, thanking her for saving their spot, to which she insisted it just happened to be free. When he turned around Phaedra was crouched next to Kat, whispering something into the little Faunus girl’s ear. Phaedra winked at her, and the three of them made their way to the booth, Phaedra sitting down on one side and pointedly dropping her bag in the seat next to her. Reed rolled his eyes, but slid into the other side with Seraphina. Reed grabbed Seraphina’s bag along with his own and shoved them across the table.

 

“Here, as long as you’re being a pig you can at least keep these over there too.”

 

After they had all figured out what they wanted Reed took their order back to Menlo and brought back three frosty glasses of Komodo Tea. Phaedra already had her book of sketches out and was flipping through them. “Alright freeloader, let’s get down to brass tacks. What kind of weapon do you feel most comfortable with? And I swear to the Maidens if you say a spear I’m going to gut you, giant glowing bear or no.”

 

“I already said I didn’t want a spear!” Seraphina retorted hotly. “And frankly I prefer hand-to-hand, none of this fancy spinning nonsense.”

 

She glanced at Reed quickly and said, “No offense.”

 

“To each their own,” Reed shrugged, taking a sip of his tea. It had been a disgustingly hot day, and the cool drink instantly made him feel refreshed and energized. Of course part of that was probably due to the large amount of caffeine in the beverage.

 

“Well, I can work hand-to-hand into it,” Phaedra said, chewing on the end of a pencil, “But I think it would be better to have some sort of blade as well. Punching Grimm works to an extent, but nothing is as effective as a wickedly sharp hunk of metal. When you fought your hero over there didn’t you use a pair of knives?”

 

Phaedra’s eyes glinted as Seraphina’s cheeks turned a shade of red to match her spiky hair. It was obvious that she loved how easy it was to torment the taller girl. She may be short and petite, but Phaedra had a wicked tongue and loved putting it to use.

 

“Yeah, standard weapon on the streets,” Seraphina said, regaining a measure of her pose. “Although I never used anything as complicated as that pair that you used when fighting my, uh…”

 

“Cronies?” Phaedra supplied with a helpful tone. “Lackeys?  Slime intent on licking your-”

 

“I think she gets the point, Phaedra,” Reed said dryly, cutting her off before Phaedra said something unsuitable for a family establishment. “Why don’t we just call them your former friends?”

 

“That’s a decent idea though,” Phaedra said, flipping to a page near the front and tapping it thoughtfully. “The gauntlets in the hilt were designed more for protection than offense, but the base is already there for enhanced hand-to-hand combat. In fact, I bet I could modify them over night to something more suited to your… style.”

 

Seraphina tried to get the other girl to elaborate but Phaedra refused, the corners of her lips lifted in a cruel smirk.

 

“Don’t bother, Seraphina,” Reed said, “When Phaedra gets like this it’s because she wants to surprise you, and nothing you say will make her change her mind. Don’t worry though, she’s a professional, and whatever she makes will work marvelously. Anyway, if she says she will have it done by tomorrow that’s perfect. I wouldn’t want you going out into the woods with us without a proper weapon.”

 

It was then that Reed noticed a platter of food winding its way toward them across the crowded restaurant, clawed hands gripped on its lip. Kat stopped in front of their table, her face peeking out from under the platter.

 

She squeaked, “Delivery, for Reed’s harem!”

 

“Thanks Ka- Wait what did you just say?!”

 

Phaedra roared with laughter, falling over in her seat as both Reed and Seraphina gawked at the little girl, cheeks aflame. Kat grinned from ear to ear. It was obvious she had no idea what she had just said, but the reaction was enough for the little girl. Reed spluttered for a moment before finding his voice. “Kat you shouldn’t use that word, at least until you’re older and know what it means. And by the _Hermit_ don’t say it to your parents.”

 

“’Kay!” The little girl responded cheerfully, dumping the platter on their table and skipping away.

 

Reed started handing out the steaming plates of food, glaring at Phaedra. The girl straightened in her seat, pushing her blue bangs out of her face and wiping tears from her eyes.

 

“Oh that was just _precious_ ,” she gasped.

 

“If Melony comes after me for this, I’m ratting you out in a heartbeat. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen a komodo mother angry, but I assure you it’s _terrifying_.”

 

* * *

 

 

Reed sat on a bench in the middle of the square before the North Gate, stifling a yawn with a hand over his mouth. The morning was cool and wet, dew covering the ground and making everything shine in the growing morning light. Soon the summer sun would scorch that all away, but one advantage of living so close to the ocean was they at least got some reprieve from the heat during the night and early hours of the morning.

 

The gates were still closed, though it would only be a few minutes before the gears hidden in the wall pushed the massive steel and wood structures agape. Reed wondered what was keeping the other two. Normally Phaedra would have been here before him.

 

As if on cue the two girls appeared on opposite sides of the square. Phaedra sauntered around the corner of a wide street on the east side of the square, overstuffed bag swaying back and forth with her stride. Seraphina slid from an alley on the west side, glancing back over her shoulder as she entered the square. She wore a tattered white Gi top over loose black pants. The flapping edges of the shirt had been secured with a red cloth belt, the knotted end pushed into the small of her back where the remaining lengths of cloth would be out of her way.

 

The gates ground open, the echoing sound fading as the two girls stepped in front of Reed’s bench. It struck Reed how different the two girls were. Phaedra, short and petite, stood straight backed with a confident smirk playing around her lips. Despite the dark rings under her eyes from a long night spent slaving over the forge, her eyes were alight with excitement at the prospect of a full day of weapons testing. Seraphina on the other hand stood with shoulders slumped, hands shoved in her pockets and shifting her weight from foot to foot. Her eyes darted back and forth, flicking around the square as if she expected an ambush at any moment. Two more different people would be hard to find.

 

“Come on you lazy excuse for a bodyguard,” Phaedra said, impatience obvious in her voice. “Time’s a wasting, and I have to give Miss Muscles a lesson on her new weapons before we get to the fun part of the day.”

 

Once they reached the cliff edge and had all unloaded their packs, Phaedra pulled out the fruits of her night’s labor. The knives looked similar to before, but the spikes on the knuckles were more pronounced, while the blades were short, straight, and thick, with a sharply angled tip compared to the previous long thin curves. With it Phaedra pulled out two sheathes, which she tossed to Seraphina.

 

“Put these on, then I will give you an introduction to my latest masterpiece.”

 

Seraphina untied the red cloth at her waist. The flaps of her shirt fell open, revealing a light pink undershirt that clung to her muscular upper body.  Once she had tied the belt back in place, Phaedra passed her the knives. When she held them in her hands the edges of the knives glowed a dull red, and Reed realized Phaedra had forgone the multi-dust infusion for a simpler, single fire infusion.

 

Phaedra went to the woods and grabbed a long branch from the ground. She stuck it in the ground, and said, “Well, give them a shot. Those edges will cut through solid steel, so this should be nothing.”

 

Seraphina quickly reduced the branch to six-inch segments, and looked down at the knives with grudging respect. “These definitely top anything I used in the alleys of Adigiar.”

 

“Press the buttons on the hilt with your thumbs,” Phaedra said. Her voice cracked in barely suppressed glee, and when she threw a wink at Reed he got an ominous feeling.

 

The black metal began to flow over Seraphina’s hands, and she watched in wonder as the blade spit into four and wrapped around the underside of her fingers. Then her eyes grew hard as the metal clinking stopped and she stared at her hands.

 

She spun on Phaedra, and growled, “You have a death wish, you conniving little pixie?!”

 

Reed groaned. Seraphina’s arms ended in two large, metal paws. The pads of the paws glowed red, lines linking them to the wickedly sharp red claws on the end of her fingers.  Phaedra grinned at Seraphina innocently.

 

“What, you don’t like them?”

 

“You think you are so funny don’t you?” Seraphina stalked toward Phaedra, rage building in her voice. “Making my shame into a weapon I’m expected to use to fight for my life? Don’t you realize how hard this is for me, coming to terms with this part of me? No, of course you don’t. Growing up in a loving family, I’m sure you were praised for every bit of wind that passed out of your tight-”

 

Reed stepped between the two girls, putting a restraining hand on Seraphina’s shoulder. “Easy, Seraphina. I agree this is inappropriate,” he shot an annoyed look at Phaedra, who put her hands behind her head and looked away, whistling tunelessly. “But Phaedra’s work is top-class, and she wouldn’t have sacrificed an inch of quality for a stupid joke. She has a knack for studying people’s fighting style and building a weapon to match. I’m sure she was thrilled when she figured out that this was the most appropriate weapon for you, but I have to say, given your fighting style it certainly has its merits. Plus, it will give you practice with the fighting style you will have to employ when your semblance is active.”

 

“But-!” Seraphina said indignantly, but Reed cut her off.

 

“ _And_ you need to stop thinking of your Faunus heritage as something to be ashamed off. Own it, Sera,” her eyes flashed to Reed’s own, startled.

 

“It’s part of you. Just like we are now part of you. Even her,” Reed jabbed a thumb over his shoulder. “She’s a pain in the ass to work with, but deep down she’s a good person who cares about those she works with, creating weapons that won’t fail them in the heat of battle.”

 

“For the record,” Phaedra piped up, “I care more for the weapons than either of you two. The better they are the more likely they are to make their way back to me.” Reed raised a stern eyebrow at her, and she dropped her gaze. “Well, at least more than her.”

 

Reed stepped out from between them, and Seraphina dropped her arms to her side, the metal sliding back into the twin knives.

 

Seraphina said, “For the record, Pixie, I’m still pissed about this.”

 

“For the record, Miss Muscles, I don’t care.”

 

“Beautiful reconciliation, you two,” Reed said dryly. “Well, I guess as long as you’re not trying to kill each other it will do. Seraphina, let’s go give those a try. I will support you at first, make sure you don’t get flanked while you get used to them.”

 

Reed started for the woods, Phaedra falling in beside him. He stopped however when he noticed Seraphina wasn’t following them. “Seraphina? What’s wrong?”

 

“Could you…” She scuffed the ground with her feet, eyes downcast and a reddish tinge to her cheeks. “Could you call me Sera? I’ve never had anyone give me a nickname before…”

 

“Reed’s got a girlfriend,” Phaedra said in a sing-song voice.

 

Seraphina looked startled at that, glancing between the two of them. “Wait, aren’t you two…?”

 

“By the Hermit no!” Reed said as Phaedra snorted explosively. “I’m afraid _you_ are actually more her type, better watch yourself.”

 

Seraphina gawked at Phaedra, who threw her a broad wink and made a big show of looking her up and down. The blush returned to her cheeks, and Reed laughed as he turned back to the woods. “Come on, Sera. Let’s go find some Grimm to kill.”

 

Walking through the woods with Sera and Phaedra, Reed got a glimpse of what he had missed by isolating himself in high school. The banter between the two girls had lost its hateful tone, and Reed had fun strolling down the forest path exchanging light-hearted jabs and discussing the best methods for taking on different Creatures of Grimm.

 

Then again, he doubted many of the people he knew in high school would have walked through a deadly forest with him looking for trouble.

 

When a pack of Creepers crashed onto the path, the three exchanged excited grins. Phaedra fell back to watch their rear, while Reed and Sera squared off against the four Grimm. Three juveniles surrounded a full grown adult, the smaller ones dwarfed by their greater than five-foot tall companion. As was the habit of Grimm, the alpha of the group held back, allowing its companions to make the initial push.

 

Reed nodded to the tall girl next to him. “You got this, Sera. Go for it.”

 

A wild light entered Sera’s eyes as she threw her arms to the side, hands disappearing under waves of black metal. When the three Grimm were less than ten feet away they jumped through the air along the path.

 

In the blink of an eye Sera was standing in front of the right-most Creeper in a low crouch. Her left paw flashed through the air, leaving flaming gaps in the mask of the monster. Before the body had even hit the ground she turned and slammed the claws of her right paw through the body of the middle Grimm. As the howls of the two dying monsters faded, the left Creeper thrashed its tail, twisting in the air to reorient on Sera.  It jumped, but she was ready for it, left paw catching it under the chin and obliterating its head into wisps of mist.

 

The mature Creeper roared from its position down the path and charged Sera. She met its charge, and as it swiped its clawed hand at Sera she met it with one of her own. The two exchanged a rapid series of blows, before the thing whipped its thick tail at her. Sera caught the blow on her crossed paws, but the force of the blow sent her skidding back, past Reed.

 

Deciding it was time to step in, Reed stepped past Sera, activating his semblance and the two switches on his staff. He let the staff spin around his right hand, creating a deadly disk to his side. The large Grimm slashed at him with its left paw, but Reed directed the blow past him with his left hand. With the creature off balance and its side exposed, Reed brought the spinning halberd in, cutting through arm and shoulder before sheering the creature’s head from its body. Reed tossed the spinning weapon in the air, allowing the kill switch to deactivate the wind before catching it in his left hand and retracting the ax head.

 

“Alright,” Sera said, looking at her hands. “I admit it. These things kick _ass_.”


	11. Communication Issues

“What the hell is a _Boarbatusk_ doing here?!”

 

“I don’t know, just keep running!”

 

Clouds of dust flew behind Reed, Seraphina, and Phaedra as they tore down the forest path. Behind them one of the rarer Creatures of Grimm destroyed brush and ground alike as it pursued them. Boarbatusks resembled pigs, with shining white tusks sticking out from the bottom of their masks. Armor the same hard material as its mask covered its back, making it very difficult to get at the more vulnerable black flesh.

 

Especially when they tucked into a ball and became a spinning white and black harbinger of death.

 

Phaedra, at the front of the group, spun and slammed the glowing brown end of her hammer into the ground. A pillar of rock five feet across and ten feet high shot out of the ground to block the path between them and the Boarbatusk. The trees to the left of the pillar exploded as the spinning Grimm smashed through the solid wood trunks as if they were nothing but a nuisance.

 

Reed grabbed Phaedra’s arm as he sprinted by, dragging her behind him until she found her feet again and could run on her own.

 

“This is getting us nowhere,” he said, thinking furiously. “We obviously can’t outrun it, and it’s too fast to hit with anything that would stop that cursed spinning.”

 

Reed glanced at the muscular girl running next to him. Seraphina’s red hair was plastered to her head with sweat, her eyes glued to the ground to avoid making a fatal mistake with her footing. It was possible that her semblance would be able to stop the Grimm, but she was far from being able to control it.

 

It had been several weeks since the three of them had gone out into the woods together for the first time. They had tried to test Seraphina’s semblance and give her some practice transforming into a bear, but every time she had tried nothing had happened.

 

“Sera!” Reed had to shout to be heard over the crashing of the Boarbatusk. “I need you to stop that thing in its tracks for just a moment. Can you do it?”

 

She turned to him, looking in his eyes for some hint what he was thinking. Then she shrugged. “I can try. Just tell me when.”

 

“Phaedra, be ready with that rock pillar!” Reed called to her, and she nodded in understanding.

 

“Alright Sera… Now!”

 

Seraphina spun around in the middle of the path, feet braced in a wide stance, and bear claws held out in front of her. The Boarbatusk crashed into her hands, and though her arms buckled, she managed to halt its momentum for a second. Phaedra struck the ground again with her hammer, and a rock pillar sprouted from the ground directly beneath the Grimm.

 

The monster was thrown into the air from the force of the blow, opening up from its clenched position to reveal the black flesh of its stomach.

 

Reed started running back up the path toward the two girls and shouted, “Sera, toss me up!”

 

Seraphina turned and put one bear claw in the palm of the other, placing them on her bent knee. Reed jumped onto the platform of black metal and glowing red dust, and with one heave she tossed him twenty feet into the air.

 

As soon as he was clear of her, Reed flipped the green switch on his halberd, activating the wind behind the already extended halberd head. Rather than try to juggle the staff in mid-air, Reed simply held on and let his whole body spin with the force of propulsion. As he reached the top of his arc he met the descending Grimm and his halberd smashed into the exposed flesh, cutting clean through its midsection.

 

Reed turned the halberd in his hand so that the wind would cancel his rotation before he flipped the switch off. He landed on the ground between the two quickly dissipating pieces.

 

“Ha! Got you, you bastard!” Phaedra whooped. “Too bad their bodies disappear. I could go for some bacon right now.”

 

“I doubt it would taste very good, Pixie,” Seraphina said dryly. “You know, being a creature of darkness and all.”

 

“Doesn’t mean I’m not hungry after all that shit.”

 

Reed looked at the sun in the sky. The Boarbatusk had chased them for the better part of an hour, and in the opposite direction of town. They would have quite the hike back.

 

It took them several hours to get back to town, most of which Seraphina and Phaedra spent arguing about the theoretical taste of Grimm flesh. As was their habit after a day spent in the woods, their first destination upon returning to Adigiar was Komodo Curry. Melony rushed up to greet them as they walked in the door.

 

“Hey you three!” she said with a broad smile and a flash of a split tongue. “I was starting to think that you weren’t coming today.”

 

“Training ran a little long,” Reed said, smiling back. He hadn’t told Melony that they were spending their Sundays in the woods, not wanting to worry her.

 

They went to their spot at the back of the restaurant. Phaedra, as usual, decided that she deserved a whole bench to herself, so Reed sat next to the wall, with Sera on his left and his halberd leaning against the wall to his right. They sat sipping Komodo Tea, discussing the implications of Boarbatusks in the woods surrounding Adigiar in the nearly empty restaurant. Sunday nights weren’t terribly busy for restaurants, people tended to be at home preparing themselves for the coming week.

 

The bell above the door tinkled as some more customers walked in, and Reed was surprised to see Tamus and Tanners in the middle of a heated discussion.

 

“I’m telling you Henry,” said Tanners in an insistent tone. “Grimm are unheard of in these numbers in recent years. Reports are coming in from all over, they-”

 

Tanners stopped talking when he saw the three of them in the back of the restaurant. Tamus followed his gaze, and upon seeing them smiled and approached, Tanners trailing him.

 

“Hey you three! Mind if we join you?” Not waiting for a reply, he spun a chair around and placed it at the head of their table.

 

Tanners looked annoyed, but he sat in the seat next to Phaedra after she cleared their bags off. Melony came by and took their order, then left after giving Reed a smile and thumbs up, obviously thinking his friend group was growing.

 

“So, what are the lot of you talking ‘bout?” Tamus said. He had the distinct sound of a man trying to change the topic of conversation.

 

Reed exchanged glances with the other two girls. Phaedra had told Reed after he had been released from the infirmary that all she and the two guardsmen had discussed before he woke up was their general relationships to Reed and Seraphina, and the events leading up to their collapse. Phaedra hadn’t told them about their trips into the woods, and hadn’t had any contact with them since.

 

“Just the weapons we would like to wield if we were Hunters,” Reed said quickly. It was a half-truth, and he hoped the two older men wouldn’t question it.

 

“You mean like the staff equipped with ice next to you, and the fire infused knuckle-knives at Seraphina’s waist?” Tanners said, eying Reed shrewdly. Reed cursed himself, he should have known the sergeant would be too discerning to let that slide.

 

Not waiting for Reed’s reply, Tanners turned to Phaedra and said, “I’m assuming you, Phaedra, are the one who made those? Not bad craftsmanship, I assumed you were just a forge apprentice who was a lunch-time acquaintance of these two.”

 

“Go to the Grimm,” Phaedra said hotly. “As if a Blau would stoop so low as to desperately seek companionship at a meal.”

 

“You’re last name is Blau?” Tanners said, surprise seeping into his voice. “I had no idea, that means Edmund is-”

 

“My old man.” Phaedra said shortly.

 

“That explains a lot.” Tanners turned to stare at Reed. “Your lack of concern about starting road patrol, your quick actions when Grimm ambushed our patrol, and you and Seraphina’s excellent performance in the last few weeks. How long have you been sneaking off into the woods?”

 

“About two months,” Reed admitted, recognizing the futility of secrecy. “I met Phaedra my second week in the guard, and we’ve been working on developing this since then.” He patted the staff next to him affectionately.

 

“By the Maidens, boy, you’ve got stones,” Tamus said, impressed. “You’ve been fighting Grimm with just a stick?”

 

“That is not just a stick!” Phaedra said angrily. “That is a full anti-cavalry halberd, equipped with air enhanced speed and infused with ice!”

 

“A halberd, huh,” Tanners said thoughtfully, while Tamus eyed Phaedra with dislike. “Good weapon for a staff wielder looking to deal some extra damage, though personally I prefer the spear. Not those dust-begotten things the Guard uses mind you, but a real one made by a master forger.”

 

“Well if you’re looking for one,” Phaedra said, pouncing on the potential to work with such a capable fighter. Tanners, however, shook his head.

 

“Thanks for the offer, Phaedra, but I’m plenty happy with the one Edmund custom made for me.”

 

“My old man made a special order weapon for you?” Phaedra said, impressed. “He only does that for those he knows will put them to good use.”

 

“He gave me one the day we met,” Reed argued, but Phaedra shook her head.

 

“That was one of his generic staffs. His special order weapons are custom tailored for the fighter he works with. He spends weeks studying the individual’s fighting style. The end result is a piece of perfection, lengths down to the millimeter, edges honed to the finest keen and made of a special mix of metals that will never wear down. Special order weapons are the only times he will even _consider_ incorporating guns into his works.” Turning to Tanners, Phaedra asked, “How old were you when he made it?”

 

“I was thirteen when he first made it, the last adjustment he made was last year when I joined the guard.”

 

“Tanners is a member of some elite military family,” Seraphina said. Then added quickly, “Sorry, I mean Sergeant Tanners.”

 

“Just Tanners is fine,” he said. “We’re all off duty.”

 

At that point their food arrived, and everyone tucked in. Phaedra snuck a spoonful of her extra spicy curry onto Tamus’s plate, both laughing her head off and trying to look innocent when he started fanning his mouth frantically and gulping down all the water in reach.

 

Reed was surprised that Tanners hadn’t said anything, but the satisfied look on his face as he watched his friend’s eyes water made Reed think he was still annoyed that Tamus had cut their earlier conversation short.

 

“So Tanners,” Reed said, trying to sound as casual as he could. “We ran into a Boarbatusk today, only a handful of miles from town. That’s a little close isn’t it?”

 

Tanners cast Reed a knowing look, but Tamus suddenly choking on his water made it impossible for Tanners to deny Reed had hit on the topic they had been discussing when they walked in.

 

Tanners sighed, and said, “Yes, Reed, it is. Tamus and I,” he shot the large man an annoyed glance, “were just discussing the increase in Grimm activity. Since our run in with that pack last month, reports have been flooding in from all the other patrols. Every single patrol has met at least a couple juvenile Beowolfs. A couple months ago one would have been a bad week. Additionally, an entire patrol went missing on the road leading to the mountains. Including that group, which was composed of eight veterans, we’ve lost more than fifteen guards in the last month.”

 

Reed leaned back, whistling softly. He’d expected a few more deaths, but an entire patrol going missing hadn’t happened in decades. Things were way worse than he had had imagined, and Reed was pretty sure he knew why.

 

“This has to be because of the White Fang,” he spat angrily. “Those damn terrorists, ramping up everyone’s fear. They don’t even care about equality anymore, they are just a pack of thugs looking to drag the world into chaos and make a quick buck off of it.”

 

“Careful Reed,” Tamus said, and the hard note in his voice surprised Reed. He looked at the hippo-Faunus, the normal easy grin and jovial attitude had been replaced with a serious stare.

 

“A lot of Faunus don’t like to hear the White Fang bad-mouthed.”

 

“You can’t be defending them Tamus!” Reed said hotly. “They are a bunch of thieves and murderers who-”

 

Tamus held up a hand to stop Reed’s tirade before it could gain momentum. “I’m not saying they don’t go too far,” he clarified, “but in a world that is incredibly discriminatory to those of us who resemble animals, they are some of the few who fight back. You have no idea what it’s like to live every day in fear for you and your own. The paranoia starts to wear on you.”

 

His gaze grew distant, and his voice saddened as he continued, “Any day could be the day where you get ambushed in an alley, or come home to find your family strung up by their necks. It’s hard to find a job, and therefore hard to support your family. I mean, for me it was basically either join them, or the Town Guard. What kind of shit choice is that?” He looked up at Reed, his gaze understanding, but unmoving. “So, while I don’t agree with their methods, I sure as Dust see why they do it.”

 

Reed wrestled with his anger, forcing himself to see things from Tamus’s point of view. Reed was not discriminatory toward Faunus, and in recent years had even started protecting those he saw being dealt an injustice. But he had never tried to consider what they thought of the White Fang. Reed knew Tamus was a good man, Reed had seen him helping the less talented recruits with kind words and gentle encouragement. And yet he saw some good in the terrorist group that had taken Reed’s dad from him.

 

“I see what you are trying to say Tamus,” Reed said, the words garbled despite his best effort to unclench his teeth. “but those bastards killed my father, a man who loved Faunus and humans alike.”

 

Reed met Tamus’s hard stare with one of his own, and said, “I won’t talk about them anymore around you. If I get the chance, though, I will make them pay for what they took from me.”

 

Tension built between the two of them for a moment before Tamus sighed and looked down. “Fine,” he said. “I’m in no place to deny you your vengeance. Just be careful where you talk about stuff like that. You are a decent human Reed, but there are less of you than you think. Some Faunus may decide to try and slide a knife between your ribs if they hear you talking like that.”

 

Reed glanced around the table, and saw Tanners’s face was set with disapproval. As a disciple of Tanaka he most likely didn’t agree with Reed’s talk of revenge, but he chose to remain silent on the subject. Talk returned to the increased number of Grimm in the nearby woods, but it was more subdued, and the party disbanded as soon as dinner was finished.

 

When Reed got back to his apartment he flopped into bed without bothering to put pajamas on. It had been a long day, and all he wanted at this point was sleep.

 

* * *

 

 

Reed woke up to the sound of a loud speaker blaring. Bleary-eyed, he jumped up and looked back and forth, before realizing that the sound was coming from outside. The indistinct voice continued as Reed ran to his door, throwing it open and leaning on the rail outside. A car drove by outside, hovering down the street and blasting a message from four megaphones secured to the roof.

 

“Guards are to report immediately to headquarters. This message will now repeat. CCT transmitters are experiencing technical difficulties. Do not be alarmed, we have received reports from the relay tower, and they are working to fix the problem. Citizens are asked to stay in their homes for the time being. Town Guards are to report immediately to headquarters. This message will now repeat.”

 

Cursing under his breath, Reed ran back into his room and threw on his uniform, barely taking the time to make sure the double row of buttons was fastened properly. He pulled out his scroll and, sure enough, the icon that normally showed signal strength was replaced by a tiny red ‘x’.

 

Damage to the Cross Continental Transmit System would be bad. The CCT was responsible for communication across Remnant. Access to emergency services would be limited. People would panic about being unable to reach loved ones and would probably start wandering the streets, where they would be easy picking for groups of delinquents and thugs. Riots might even breakout if order wasn’t established soon, and that would lead to something much worse. Swarms of Grimm.

 

Reed grabbed his staff on the way out, slamming the door behind him. It was a far inferior weapon to Halmvoulge, but it was better than nothing.

 

Hurrying through town, Reed could feel the stress in the air. As he thought, there were several groups of people hurrying about despite the warning to stay indoors. He shouted at a couple to return to their homes, but they ignored him. Reed also passed several alleys with small groups of hooded figures leaning against the walls. This second group also ignored him, probably deciding there was better prey at the moment than a Guard.

 

Upon reaching the Town Guard headquarters, Reed was greeted by the fat sergeant who normally ran the armory. He wondered if the Town Guard was honestly incompetent enough to not have anyone ready to hand out weapons.

 

“Name and rank,” the guard said in a tired voice, rubbing a fat fist against one eye as he yawned.

 

“Reed Aoki, recruit.” Reed couldn’t believe that in a time like this the guard wasn’t even fully awake.

 

The sergeant consulted a list in his hands, another gigantic yawn sending a spray of spit onto the paper. “Report to classroom four. You will be briefed on your duties after the officers have decided on a course of action.”

 

“With all due respect, sir,” Reed said, trying to keep the sarcasm out of his voice. “Shouldn’t we be sending patrols into the city to keep the peace? I passed several groups of less than reputable looking individuals, and-”

 

“Yeah, yeah,” the sergeant interrupted. “Great idea kid, why don’t you mention it when you are briefed?”

 

Fuming at the condescending words, Reed stormed down the hall. He slammed open the door to the classroom, noting that he was the first person from the recruits to arrive. He lived pretty close to headquarters, but he knew others lived closer. Would any of the other recruits honestly be so lazy as to go back to bed after hearing the warning?

 

Unable to sit still, Reed paced back and forth in front of the blackboard. Over the next ten minutes the rest of the recruits started to trickle in, most looking grumpy and tired. Seraphina showed up breathless, looking as if she had run the whole way from her place, which Reed knew to be across town. Of course she would understand the dangerous position the city would be in.

 

Seraphina looked around the room, eying the recruits in various states of stupor or sleep in their seats. “This is bad, Reed” she whispered. “They seriously haven’t sent out patrols yet?”

 

Reed shook his head. “I tried to bring it up to the sergeant at the door, but the fool blew me off.”

 

The door opened again, and they were surprised to see Tamus stick his head through the door. “Oi, you two,” he called. “Sergeant Tanners wants you in the briefing room. Let’s go.”

 

He turned around without waiting for a response, leaving Reed and Seraphina to exchange a surprised look before hurrying to catch up.

 

“Tamus, what’s going on?” Reed asked, falling into place beside the larger man, jogging to keep up with Tamus’s long strides.

 

“I will let you see for yourself,” Tamus said, his voice hard. “And it’s Corporal Tamus right now. You are about to enter a military meeting, make sure you remember your manners. Stand next to me, don’t speak unless you are spoken to, and for the Hermit’s sake _don_ _’t_ stir up trouble.”

 

The corporal was dead pan and serious, his tone far away, and none of his usual cheerfulness was present. They reached the briefing room where they had been assigned to Tanners’s charge for wall patrol. Tamus slid the door open and walked in, Reed and Seraphina following him around the perimeter of the room to stand at the back wall.

 

Every one of the seats was filled with officers. Captains were seated in the front row, with their lieutenants behind them, and the sergeants in the last two rows. Reed could pick out many of the individuals who had been assigned to watch the recruits on wall patrol, although the tough-looking woman who had been in charge of two of Seraphina’s previous gang members was conspicuously absent. The three of them stood against the wall directly behind Tanners, who gave them a brief nod before returning his attention to the front of the room, where a man was standing behind the podium checking his watch.

 

Reed realized with a start that the man was the commander of the Town Guard, Boyd Fulvio. He was an older man, with a weak chin and wispy white hair pulled back in a frayed ponytail. It was well known that he was the commander of the Town Guard only because he was good at organizing the various day-to-day activities of the Town Guard. He had no experience in the type of crisis they were now facing. Fulvio adjusted some papers on the podium nervously, cleared his throat, and started to address the assembled officers.

 

“G-Guards, we face a difficult situation at the moment. We received a distress call from the CCT Support Tower in the Morose Mountains at 0512 this morning, just before we lost contact with the CCT System. The call was garbled, but from what we could make out we have surmised that an unprecedented number of Grimm have swarmed the tower, damaging it severely. We are unsure why the Grimm have attacked the tower in such large numbers, but obviously the safety of our town is dependent on that tower being operational. Now, does anybody have a suggestion for what should be our first course of action?”

 

A mountain of a man stood up in the front row. He had a crew cut of dark brown hair, with muscles that attested to hours spent in the weight room. The insignia on his shoulder clearly labeled him one of the five Town Guard captains. Commander Fulvio eagerly vacated the position to him, obviously not wanting to be the one in charge of the meeting.

 

“The course of action is obvious!” the man shouted into the small briefing room, causing Reed to grimace. “We must send reinforcements to support the tower immediately! All available troops should be deployed within the hour and march through the day and night into the mountains. We must secure the tower with all haste!”

 

Reed groaned internally. This man was clearly all brawn and no brains. The tower in question was easily a three day forced march away, it would take more than a day and night to reach it. If the troops were unrested they would have uncounted casualties from minor skirmishes along the road, and would be slaughtered to a man upon encountering the larger horde. Meanwhile, with no one to keep order, the town would be pandemonium. Even if they somehow managed to secure the tower, they would most likely find upon reestablishing communications that the town had become a wasteland.

 

To Reed’s relief, Tanners stood from his position at the back of the group.

 

“With all due respect, Captain Gerstein, our first priority should be to secure the town. With the collapse of communications there’s bound to be looting and riots. We need to ensure the safety of the town and its people before we march on the tower. We should send out patrols to prevent gangs and delinquents from taking over, establish emergency communication with medical services, and make sure the people have access to food and other amenities before-”

 

Captain Collins stood from his position at the front of the room, face red and spit flying as he shouted at Tanners, “Who are you to question those with more experience, S _ergeant_?! We are senior here, we have had many more years of experience than you. I have been with the Guard for nineteen years, and Captain Gerstein has been here even longer! Trust those with more experience and do as you’re told!”

 

“Now Collins,” Fulvio said in a placating voice, hands ringing nervously in his lap. “Sergeant Tanners was part of the Vale military for several years, maybe we should listen to what he has to say…”

 

“Trust me, boy,” Gerstein said in a condescending tone. “Our number one concern should be the tower. The citizens can make it a few days without destroying themselves, but the Grimm will completely destroy the tower if we leave it alone. We must go there immediately!”

 

“Sorry, sir,” Tanners said, and Reed could tell that the sergeant was having a hard time keeping from grinding his teeth as he spoke, “but there is more to moving a large force than just pushing them into a forced march. We need to establish supply trains, and the troops will need to be well rested when we reach the location if we want to have any chance of routing an entrenched enemy. The soonest we could be there is three days, and that would be assuming we had already prepared the necessary food rations and weapon deployments. Those preparation will take at least a day, so-”

 

“Your concerns have been noted, sergeant,” Gerstein said in a clearly dismissive tone. His gaze traveled to Reed and the others standing at the back, and anger entered his eyes. “What the Grimm are a couple of _recruits_ doing here?!”

 

“They are with me,” Tanners said coldly.

 

Gerstein’s face grew red, and spittle flew as he bellowed, “You are out of line, Sergeant! You have no right to invite a couple of recruits greener than the Spring Maiden to a classified officer’s meeting!”

 

An uncompromising note entered Tanners’s voice. “Town Guard Charter clearly states that all officers are allowed to bring their squad to any meeting, if they wish, and I prefer working with informed individuals. This clause was instated by the Vale Government after certain cases of corruption among the officers were found about a decade ago. You were enlisted then, sir, I’m sure you remember.”

 

The mountainous captain looked like he was about to explode with rage. He took a step towards the standing sergeant, when a window at the side of the room slid open, and a young woman entered the room.

 

Everyone halted, stunned. They were on the third floor of the building, and the window opened out into thin air. The woman in question was of average height, with skin the same dark shade as Reed’s teacher’s. Her light orange, pixie-cut hair swirled around her face as a breeze followed her into the room. She wore dark, form fitting leather armor and a long scarf that draped down her back in twin lines, fading from black to a bright green at the tasseled ends. At each hip hung strange looking weapons: long, curved blades that created a hemisphere around leather-wrapped handles. At the small of her back, Reed could just make out a small, brass spyglass, like those used by sailors to keep track of the shore.

 

The first to recover from the shock of the woman’s unexpected appearance was Captain Gerstein.

 

“Listen here, girly,” Gerstein said, stalking towards her, “This is a classified meeting, you’re gonna have to leave.”

 

The hulking captain moved to put a hand on her shoulder. Her reaction was instantaneous. Grabbing the captain’s wrist she spun into the air above and behind him. Her leg flashed out, shin catching the man in the nape of the neck. Caught completely off guard, without time to activate his Aura, he was knocked instantly unconscious.

 

“Oh by the Maidens, I’m sorry!” The woman gasped. “That was just instinct. You really shouldn’t threaten someone you just met, though. I only came to help.”

 

Reed’s mouth had fallen open the moment the woman had walked through the window. How had the idiotic captain not recognized her? She was probably the most famous person in the region.

 

Commander Fulvio got to his feet, shaking like a leaf in a Maiden conjured storm. “For those of you who don’t know, this is the Huntress Kiwidinek Kadir, of the town of Tani.”

 

The young woman grimaced slightly. “Please just call me Kiwi,” she said. “That name is way too long and formal. It’s a pleasure to meet you all.”

 

She bowed slightly, then straightened. The room was silent, people still adjusting to the sudden appearance of the famed Huntress, and the subsequent dethroning of Gerstein’s position as head of the meeting. The woman shrugged, and continued, “Anyway, to the issue at hand. I noticed you don’t have patrols in the town yet. How long until they are ready, and how many are you planning on deploying?”

 

“Actually,” said Captain Collins, attempting to regain his previous bluster, “We were just about to deploy the troops for the mountains ASAP as soon as possible. Retaking the tower is our primary concern-”

 

“Admirable and ambitious,” Kiwidinek Kadir said in a kind voice, that never the less cut over the captain’s idiotic ramblings. “However, we must first secure the town and prepare supplies for what is likely to be a lengthy expedition. I understand you are eager to fix the problem, but we must have an Adigiar to return to, right?”

 

“If I may, Huntress Kiwidinek,” Tanners said, pronouncing the name fluidly and dragging slightly on the ‘n’ sound. “I was just saying that today should be spent securing the town, gathering supplies, and planning the expedition. If we want to be in any condition to fight when we reach our destination it will take at least three days to get there, so plans have to be made for where a large company can rest for the night, camp layouts have to be determined, and sentry shifts have to be drawn up. Not to mention all the preparations for keeping the town safe and guarded in our absence.”

 

The woman smiled broadly at Tanners, obviously singling him out among the others as someone with legitimate experience handling military affairs. She nodded to him, then addressed the room.

 

“The sergeant here is absolutely right, I couldn’t have said ti better myself. Sergeants, all of you contact your corporals and have each of them prepare five patrols of five guardsmen. Send three of those out immediately to cover major roads and densely populated areas, and have the others ready to march at a moment’s notice. Our first task here will be to determine areas of biggest concern and form a schedule and routes to makes sure no sections of the city remain unprotected.”

 

She spoke with absolute authority in her voice, and the two rows of sergeants at the back of the room scrambled to do her bidding without waiting for orders from their captains. Tanners nodded gratefully to Kiwidinek, then turned to face the three behind him. “Tamus, do as she says. I want Reed and Seraphina taking lead on one of the latter patrols, their combat experience is going to be necessary in securing the more dangerous parts of town.”

 

“Felix,” Tamus protested. At a hard look from Tanners, he corrected himself. “Sergeant. These two are still too new to lead a squad. Let me put them under a more senior guardsmen, otherwise anyone in their squad is going to resent them.”

 

“We don’t have time to waste on a ‘senior’ guardsman holding these two back. You know the caliber of people we have to work with. Put them with one of the more level headed veterans, and the two best fighters from their batch of recruits. Reed is squad leader, Seraphina is second in command. Understood?”

 

“Sir.” Tamus said in the affirmative, although it was obvious he was still apprehensive about the situation.

 

Tanners turned to Reed and Seraphina. “Reed I know you are about to say you don’t have enough experience leading people to do this.”

 

Reed closed his mouth, having had his words taken from it.

 

“Well, guess what? It doesn’t matter. You are one of the best guards under my command, and I need you to figure it out. There is a second reason I want you in one of the later groups. Find Phaedra, and get your weapons from her. We have a limited number of gun-spears, and it would be wasted on you anyway when you have such superior weapons. Check the forge, she should be there and hopefully she had the foresight to bring them with her. Also, we are going to need some forgers on this expedition to maintain equipment. Tell her I will push her into the group that is chosen, so she should be ready to march tomorrow at first light. If she runs into any problems, tell her to come find me here.”

 

Tanners took a deep breath, then nodded to the three of them. “Be careful out there, all of you. Dismissed.”


	12. City Patrol

Reed and Seraphina rode the elevator down to the basement level, where the forge was located. Reed had never been to this part of the headquarters before, and was therefore surprised when the elevator doors opened onto a spacious natural cave, large enough to fit the entire apartment complex Reed lived in.

 

The cave was well lit, dust powered lights lining the rough stone walls as they curved up to a domed ceiling fifty feet above. The left side of the cave had a double line of twenty forges, next to which stood a massive pile of coke against the far wall under the open end of a chute. The middle was taken up by racks, containing partially assembled gun-spears, and far too few finished ones. The right side of the cave was set up like a classroom, lines of single desks laid out in front of a black board.

 

The apprentice forgers sat at these desks, listening to the Forgemaster as he strode back and forth in front of them. He was a tall, thin man, with a clean-shaven face and shaved head. Despite his waspy appearance, Reed could see cords of muscles standing out along his arms.

 

“We are most likely facing a crisis here,” the Forgemaster said in a neutral voice, “and they will pressure us to churn out as many gun-spears as possible. That does not mean, however, that you are allowed to sacrifice quality for quantity. A poorly built weapon will cause injury to the user, taking a fighter out of the battle.”

 

The Forgemaster noticed Reed and Seraphina approaching, and turned to face them. “I’m assuming you two have a reason for being here when Guards aren’t generally allowed in the forge?”

 

“We have orders from Sergeant Tanners to speak with forge apprentice Phaedra,” Reed said, spotting her in the back row as she whipped around at the sound of his voice.

 

“Normally I would tell anyone with orders from a sergeant to get out of my forge immediately,” the Forgemaster said with a slightly sour tone. “But Tanners is probably more qualified to give that order than most of the captains. Very well, you have five minutes.”

 

“Additionally,” Reed interjected as the older man went to resume his lecture. “Sergeant Tanners says to expect a group of forgers to be deployed with the Guards, and requests that she be included in that group.”

 

Reed withheld the fact that Tanners had demanded that she be included, figuring the Forgemaster would appreciate a request more than an order.

 

“Very well,” the man said, waving a dismissive hand.

 

“What the Grimm-eaten Maiden panties is going on here?!” Phaedra said as Reed and Seraphina guided her away from the seated group. “They won’t tell us any more than that stupid announcement that was made this morning, which was obviously a vague pile of Hermit shit.”

 

“Grimm have overrun the CCT Support Tower in the Morose Mountains,” Reed said, causing Phaedra to release a stream of expletives under her breath. “Sera and I have been ordered to patrol the city to ensure order.”

 

“We are being put on slum duty,” Seraphina said, rubbing the back of her head with a hand and looking worried. “Which is not going to be an easy task. I guarantee that as soon as communications went down the gangs swept through the worse parts of town and established their own version of martial law. They will be removing valuables from shops and people’s homes on threat of death, and may have barricaded the streets to slow any action from the Town Guard.”

 

“Please tell me you brought our weapons,” Reed said. “I really don’t want to face off against the various undesirables we are going to encounter with one of those twigs the Town Guard calls gun-spears.”

 

Phaedra snorted. “What do you take me for, one of these other useless fools trying not to wet themselves? Your halberd is strapped to my pack, and Miss Muscle’s knives are in the front pocket. By the way, I should mention I made a modification to your halberd last night. I planned to surprise you with it after work today, but I guess-”

 

“Apprentice!” The Forgemaster shouted, arms crossed and foot tapping the ground. “Your five minutes are up, rejoin the group.”

 

“Fucking pain in my Maiden parts,” Phaedra muttered, as she started walking back. She looked over her shoulder and said, “The new switch employs two different forms of Fire dust, forward for stream and backwards for projectile. It comes out the tip, try not to hurt yourself.”

 

Reed found her pack against the wall by the elevator. He handed Seraphina her knives, then unstrapped Halmvoulge from her pack, noting that next to the green switch a red one had been added, with room for it to be pushed in both directions along the length of the staff.

 

The two recruits made their way back to the elevator, and from there to the classroom. The room was far less populated than before, most of the recruits having been split among the various patrols to lessen the impact of their inexperience. Two recruits remained, a girl with long purple hair and a guy with a cloth hat pulled low over his eyes, along with Tamus and a middle aged guardsman with a scar over his left eye.

 

“Alright everyone,” Tamus said in a quick tone. “Here’s Reed Aoki, your squad leader for the day. I will leave you to get acquainted while you wait for orders from Sergeant Tanners. Reed, Seraphina, if I could see you two in the hall for just a moment.”

 

Reed followed Tamus into the hall, Seraphina close behind. Once the door was closed, Tamus turned and said briskly, “I will be quick, I still need to form up my own squad. The older man’s name is Delphin. An accident with some Grimm several years back left him rather simple, but he is an adequate fighter and has been ordered to follow your commands. He will do as he’s told, just don’t expect too much improvisation from him.

 

“The two from your batch of recruits are the ones who showed the most potential, other than the two of you. The one with the hat I saw on the gun range, and he’s quite the crack-shot with a rifle. Those are going to have to be distributed anyway, so might as well give him one of those when you check out weapons from the armory. Also ask for a pair of short range radios. They have been sitting collecting dust for years, so we only have enough for two per squad. Good luck.”

 

With that the large man strode away, not waiting for any reply from Reed or Seraphina. The Faunus had made sure to give him the pertinent information regarding his new charges, but obviously had more on his mind than just their squad.

 

Reed walked back into the room and the purple-haired girl bounced up to him. She threw her hand up to her forehead in a salute, body quivering with barely suppressed energy. “Private Abbey, reporting for duty, sir!”

 

“Just Reed is fine. We’re the same age, it feels weird to have you call me sir. What would you say your strengths and weaknesses are?”

 

“Well Reed, sir, I mean just Reed, I’m quick and hard to keep a bead on. During the limited sparring training we did I could almost always get out of the way of attacks, though Corporal Tamus always lectured me on maintaining proper form. I’m also a lousy shot, like, super lousy. Just can’t seem to keep the spear pointed in the same direction long enough to line up the target.”

 

Reed hoped this girl wouldn’t accidentally shoot him in the back while trying to hit someone in the complete opposite direction. He turned to the guy, who had sandy blond hair sticking out from under his cap. “And you are?”

 

“My name is Chase.”

 

“Tamus tells me you are a pretty good shot with a rifle, anything else?”

 

“I’m pretty good at climbing, especially buildings.” The words were clipped and said without inflection. The tone wasn’t rude, just matter-of-fact.

 

Reed smiled and said, “I won’t ask how you learned how to do that, but it will be useful. I will be relying on you to cover us from the rooftops and keep an eye out for hostiles.”

 

Walking over to Delphin and turning, Reed said to the rest of the room, “This is Delphin. He had a bit of a mishap with some Grimm in the past, but he is more than up to the task of giving us support, if what the corporal said is anything to judge.”

 

Delphin nodded to the others, but remained silent. Reed wondered if he was even capable of speaking.

 

“Alright everyone, let’s go get our weapons from the armory while we wait for deployment orders.” Reed pulled Chase aside as everyone else filed out and said in a low voice, “Keep an extra sharp eye out on the area around Delphin. Tamus said he can fight, but I’m not sure how aware of his surroundings he is.”

 

Chase nodded his understanding, and the group moved down the hall to the armory. Abbey and Delphin managed to receive gun-spears that weren’t too crooked, and Chase confirmed that with some adjustments to the sights the rifle should shoot accurately enough. Reed checked out his short range radios and handed one to Chase. Once they returned to the classroom they found an unused frequency and put the earpieces attached to the radios in their ears.

 

Sergeant Tanners walked in shortly after, waving the group over to the black board, where he used clips lining the top to hang a map of the west side of the city. He circled a northern section of Adigiar, and thanks to Seraphina’s groan Reed knew it was a particularly bad part of the city.

 

“You will be patrolling the north section of the 24th district,” Tanners said, pulling out a pen and drawing a line that began on the right side of the circle.

 

“Your primary purpose is to be seen by the inhabitants so they know the Town Guard will be patrolling, so you will be taking a winding route. Not going to lie, this is a pretty dangerous part of the city. Smaller groups should leave you alone, but you are bound to run into some larger groups that think they can take you. Focus on driving them off, but do what you have to in order to make sure none of you get hurt. If you see anything that you think is too much for your group, do not engage. Note any of these locations and we will send a larger, more experienced squad upon your return to route them.

 

“I cannot emphasize this enough, your safety is the number one priority. Considering the expedition that we are about to embark upon we can’t afford to lose anyone. Without the CCT System we will be operating blind. Normally in the instance of inner city patrols we would use GPS mapping through scrolls, but you will have to make do with a paper map.”

 

Tanners handed out five smaller copies of the district map to each of the members of the squad, then stood straight-backed, looking over each of them in turn. “I expect to see each of you in four hours’ time. Good luck, all of you.”

 

Reed’s squad saluted the sergeant as he marched from the room, then turned to Reed, awaiting orders. As he looked at them, Reed decided that Tamus had chosen well. Despite the two recruit’s lack of experience and Delphin’s handicap, the mere fact that they as a group looked to one person for guidance would make them a more cohesive unit in the field.

 

The thought of being that person scared Reed, but as he looked at the faces around him Reed resolved that they would all make it back to headquarters alive. Even if he had to put his own life on the line to ensure it.

 

“Alright everyone, we have our orders. Let’s move out.”

 

* * *

 

As they walked through the town towards the location where they would begin their patrol, Reed explained to the rest of the squad the formation he wanted them to take.

 

They would be winding between two parallel streets, systematically covering a the northern half of the district. Reed would take lead, with Seraphina and Delphin covering their flanks while Abbey watched their rear. Chase assured Reed that he could remain on the rooftops, even as they crossed small side streets. Reed couldn’t see how, but he took the young man’s word for it. He decided to have Seraphina cover the side of the street under the buildings that Chase would be perched on, and ordered Delphin to cover the opposite side. This would give Chase the best vantage to watch the scarred man and make sure no one managed to sneak up on them from that direction.

 

It took them thirty minutes to reach their starting point. During that time they took the larger, more populated roads, and Reed noticed a significant change from earlier in the day. The alleys were empty, the constant patrols having dissuaded low-lifes from hanging around this section of town. No one walked the streets, shops were closed, and in many of the apartment windows wardrobes or bookshelves had been pushed to block any unwanted eyes from peering in. It was eerie, but the quiet indicated that people were at least safe.

 

As they approached the 24th district, however, noises started to reach them. Car alarms, breaking glass, and shouts started to reach their ears, and Reed could feel the others starting to get nervous. They reached the corner that they were supposed to turn down, and Reed halted the others with a raised hand.

 

“Alright, this is it everyone. Stay in formation, announce hostiles as you see them, and support one another when able. Chase, get up on that roof and tell us what you see.”

 

The sandy-haired boy nodded, turning to eye the building next to them. It was four stories tall, three floors of apartments over a line of small, locally owned businesses. There was a fire escape outside the apartments, but the bottom of the ladder was more than fifteen feet in the air.

 

Chase did a couple of quick squats, before crouching low and _jumping_ to the fire escape, bypassing the ladder entirely and vaulting over the railing.

 

“You call that climbing?” Reed muttered under his breath.

 

Chase disappeared onto the rooftop, and a minute later his voice crackled to life in Reed’s ear-piece.

 

“ _The street is clear for a block or so, but after that it looks like a war zone. Cars flipped, store fronts smashed. There_ _’s a couple small groups of people moving around breaking anything in sight, but it seems to be limited to the streets. I don’t see any movement in the apartments._ ”

 

Reed relayed what Chase had seen to the others, then formed the others up before leading the way down the street. The right side of the street was a solid line of buildings, the city wall visible behind them. When they were half way down the block the groups started pointing in their direction, and all of them quickly dispersed down alleys and side streets to the left.

 

The first block was uneventful. Once his squad reached the first intersection Reed waved them to the left, and they made their way to the parallel street. Chase flashed over the street, making another amazing jump to clear the road and land on the roof opposite.

 

“ _Watch out,_ ” Chase’s voice warned in Reed’s ear. “ _There_ _’s a group of about ten guys breaking into an electronic shop half a block down the next street. They are carrying stuff down an alley across the street, and I can’t see down it so there may be more._ ”

 

Reed warned the others, adding, “This is likely to be our first confrontation, a group of ten will think their superior numbers can win out against us.”

 

“Are you sure they are wrong?” Abbey asked, looking around nervously. “No offense, but that’s twice our current numbers. Maybe we should go back and tell Sergeant Tanners?”

 

Seraphina snorted, twirling her knives through her fingers. “Please, anyone committing petty theft is gonna be small time. This is just the warm up.”

 

“Watch that alley, Chase,” Reed said into the microphone on the cord. “If you have the time, aim to disable. An injured man takes two enemies out of the fight, assuming someone tries to help him.”

 

“ _Got it._ ”

 

Reed took a deep breath, putting his semblance on low burn just in case, and led the way around the corner. They hadn’t closed half the distance when the group noticed them and dropped what they were doing. They grouped up between Reed’s squad and the store, nine beefy guys sticking out their chests and swaggering up to the patrol. They carried a variety of improvised weapons, mostly bats, with a couple of kitchen knives and a single log-cutting ax.

 

“Hold it right there, kiddies,” said the one wielding the ax, putting it over his shoulder and leaning down to leer at them. “I’m sure the Guard is scrambling to gain control of the city, but there’s no point risking your lives. Why don’t you just turn around and tell your boss that this section of the city is a lost cause.”

 

His gaze traveled to Abbey and his leer took on a hungry look. “You can leave the cutie in the back, though. It’s been a while since I’ve had someone young enough to be a Maiden.”

 

“Delphin, stay back and keep an eye on the alley. Sera, cover my right. There’s no use talking here, let’s see how many we have to knock down before they break for cover.”

 

Seraphina stepped up next to Reed, leaving a healthy gap between them to allow Reed adequate room to swing his staff. Reed didn’t bother to release the halberd head, broken bones would make for less mess than bloody stumps.

 

The man’s face contorted with rage. “Alright you little piece of Hermit dung, you asked for it.”

 

He stepped forward and swung the ax over his head in a downward stroke. Reed slid to the side of the blow, swinging his staff over the ax to slam into the man’s face. He reeled under the power of the stroke, back peddling as he dropped the weapon. Reed pursued him relentlessly, quick jabs slamming into the man’s midsection until his Aura broke. Spinning to gain momentum, Reed turned and smashed his staff into the side of the man’s knee with an audible crunch.

 

The man dropped with a howl, and three of the bat wielding thugs took his place with angry shouts. Not wanting to take any chances while so outnumbered, Reed flipped the green switch and brought the staff in front of him, passing it from hand to hand in an impenetrable spinning shield. Every time one of the thugs tried to hit him the bat in their hands was jerked to the side by the force of the collision. One was unlucky enough to take a redirected blow to the face, blood spurting from a broken nose.

 

As the man spewing blood retreated, Reed pushed into the gap between the remaining two men. He struck one of them across the hands, causing him to drop his bat. Reed brought the staff up and struck him on the side of the head, knocking the man to the ground. Out of the corner of his eye Reed saw the man behind him attempt to take advantage of Reed’s positioning, aiming a blow at his legs.

 

Reed tucked his knees beneath him and jumped over the bat. Turning mid-air, he brought the staff down on the man’s shoulder. He grunted, but the thug’s aura held. Reed deactivated the wind with a flick of his thumb, bracing the other end of his staff on the ground. Hanging in the air, Reed lashed his foot out to collide solidly with the man’s face. His aura broke as his head snapped back and his feet left the ground. He flew a short distance and slammed into the ground, unmoving.

 

Suddenly Reed felt large arms wrap around him, one of the men abandoning his bat in favor of trying to grapple him to the ground.

 

“Careless,” Reed cursed under his breath. He squatted down, then pushed off the ground to slam his head into the man’s chin. As the arms around him loosened, Reed spun to stick one of his legs behind the thug’s knee. His hand slid up under the man’s arm, pushing him with his momentum over Reed’s leg to slam head first into the ground. Light flashing off the man, Reed caught his staff before it hit the ground and struck the man a quick blow to his lower ribs, feeling several break.

 

Seraphina faced off against the last bat wielders and the two wielding kitchen knives. She held her knives in a reversed grip and leapt forward to close the gap. The first thug attempted a cross slash, but the cheap knives were no match for Phaedra’s dust infusing. When they met Seraphina’s knives the top halves were sheered away. As the man stared, dumbfounded, she grounded her feet and planted one knuckled hand in the man’s face, the other in his gut. The first broke his aura, while the second dropped him to the ground retching and gasping for breath.

 

Two of the remaining thugs swung at her in unison, bat coming from the left and knives from the right. She blocked the bat with the knuckles of one knife, flipping the other around and slashing down to meet the knives. She cut through the hilt of one knife, but only the tip of the second, and the blade glanced off her thigh.

 

“Tch,” Seraphina grunted, pushing her foot into the offending thug’s chest and launching him several yards down the street. She brought her right hand around to slam into the side of the remaining opponent’s head, his eyes growing glassy as his aura broke and he dropped his bat. Grabbing the back of his head, Sera brought it down to meet her knee for good measure.

 

The man Seraphina had kicked down the street and the last guy with a bat broke and ran for the alley.

 

“ _I thought you planned to make more of them retreat than that,_ ” Chase said dryly.

 

Reed ignored the comment, sweeping his gaze through the surrounding windows for reinforcements. “Any movement in the alley?”

 

“ _Nope. Those two looked about ready to piss themselves, I think we are clear._ ”

 

Reed turned and motioned for Delphin and Abbey to fall back into formation. The normally hyper girl was standing stock still, gazing open mouthed at Reed and Seraphina. He raised an eyebrow at her, and she snapped back to the moment. Obviously trying to look professional, she looked behind her, then back at Reed and nodded to indicate that the coast was clear. Considering Reed was looking in her direction this was pretty obvious, but he didn’t say anything.

 

Continuing down the street, the young recruits and their older companion saw more evidence of the chaos that had taken over the 24th district. A dumpster had been pushed out of an alley, its contents aflame, to rest on the sidewalk. More roving groups moved up and down the street, one of the larger ones accosting a small group carrying an expensive hologram projector. As Reed watched the smaller group set the projector on the ground and scurried for cover, the larger group exchanging wide grins and slapping each other’s backs before picking it up and carrying it further down the street.

 

As before, once they turned down the street groups began to disappear one by one. Soon they were walking down a nearly empty street.

 

“We aren’t doing enough,” Reed said under his breath to Seraphina. “People are just moving around us, once we leave an area I am sure they go right back to looting and breaking.”

 

“There’s not much else we can do,” Seraphina said with a shrug. “You may be a good fighter, but five people aren’t going to change an area this big and bad with one patrol. Tanners knows what he’s doing. Seeing patrols in this area will put people on edge. They will be a little more hesitant to do worse crimes, like murder, fearing a Guard will catch them in the act. Our little display earlier will make its way through the circles as well. Strength is king here, and knowing that legitimately capable Guards are the ones patrolling will increase their wariness tenfold.”

 

Reed ground his teeth but let the topic drop, another taking over his thoughts. He had noticed that many of the groups were composed almost entirely of Faunus. Despite his personal feelings towards them, it was a fact that many of the animal-like residents of the city resorted to crime to get by. When no one would hire them for legitimate jobs they had to find ways to feed their families, and a riot was the perfect chance to acquire resources that may otherwise be impossible.

 

As they approached an apartment complex two people burst from a side door in an alley, a medium sized and slightly overweight man dragging a haggard, middle-aged Faunus woman behind him. The man threw the woman unceremoniously on the ground and fumbled at his belt. When she stood and opened her mouth to accost him he brought the back of his hand across her face, knocking her quivering to the ground.

 

“Stop,” Reed said in a cold voice. The man spun to them, the lust in his eyes turning to anger as he took in the group of Guards in front of him. “Just what, exactly, do you think you’re doing?”

 

The man sneered, looking Reed up and down, taking in his youthful appearance. “Nothing that a kid like you would understand. This trash over here owes me quite a bit of rent money, I’m just taking what’s rightfully mine.”

 

Looking him up and down, Reed came to the conclusion that he represented very little real danger. Some fat men were incredibly strong, but this guy’s arms were flabby and his gut jiggled in waves when he talked. He decided that now was as good a time as any to give his newer recruits some experience. “Abbey, please come here for a minute.”

 

Abbey approached nervously, hands ringing around the gun-spear in her hands.

 

“I need a chance to assess your combat viability, and this guy is about as pathetic as they get.”

 

“But Reed!” Abbey protested, eyes wild. “That man is trying to… you know. And I’m a girl. I mean, that is to say, I…”

 

“Abbey,” Reed said, his tone understanding but serious. “This is basically a war-zone, with very real danger around every corner. The next fight you are in is likely to be with unfavorable numbers, possibly a sneak attack, and with much larger, more competent opponents. This is the best chance you will have to actually win. If you can’t fight now, you might as well go back and have Tanners put you on a squad patrolling the main strip.”

 

Giving his voice a thoughtful inflection, he added, “You could always just aim for that thing between his legs. He’s done you the kindness of taking it part way out, no shame in a low blow in a street brawl.”

 

Abbey’s face turned pink, but a small smile forced its way onto her face. Straightening her back, she walked forward and took up a textbook stance, with the tip of her gun-spear pointed in the man’s direction.

 

The overweight man seemed to rethink his choices when the gleaming metal was leveled in his direction. He took a step back, but a gun-shot sounded from the roof behind and a bullet cracked into the ground beside him.

 

Reed mentally praised Chase’s initiative. He needed Abbey to face this, here and now. Real combat was a world’s difference from training exercises in a controlled environment, and even one fight would make her a much more valuable asset to their squad.

 

Of course he also had his semblance on, and was ready to step in at a moment’s notice.

 

“You have two choices,” Reed said to the older man. “If you beat young Abbey here, I will make sure you have a comfy jail cell with a lovely cell mate. Good guy, a bit insistent but I’m sure you two will get along great. If you try and run my friend on the roof there will put a bullet in your leg, but I will still get you that cell. Your call.”

 

The man glanced around wildly, scanning the roof tops trying to determine what direction the shot had come from and if he had any avenues of escape. Locating Chase, his eyes went down to the building below, where Seraphina had positioned herself with arms crossed in front of the only entrance.

 

The man took a step back, as if he planned to take his chances with Chase, then lunged at Abbey.

 

He snatched at Abbey’s weapon, but despite being taken by surprise the young girl was faster and stepped to the side. The man spun on her and lunged again, and again Abbey ducked to the side, but this time the tip of her spear dropped a little. When the man tried to lunge again, she brought the weapon up between his legs, a triumphant smile on her face.

 

The man’s face contorted in pain and weak light flashed as his aura broke, but he grabbed the weapon in one hand and pulled it so that Abbey was in reach, twisting one hand into the collar of her uniform.

 

Chase cursed and the sound of a bolt sliding into place sounded in Reed’s ears. Under his breath, Reed whispered, “Hold, Chase.”

 

A look of panic entered Abbey’s eyes. She tried desperately to back away from the man, but his grip was firm as he pulled her in close. “Might as well take a good memory with me, eh?”

 

He grabbed the other side of her uniform and made to rip the jacket open. Yelling in panic, Abbey’s hands found the back of the man’s head and she brought it down to her knee in a fair imitation of the move Seraphina had pulled earlier. The man yelped in pain as several teeth hit pavement just before their previous residence toppled to the ground beside them.

 

Abbey looked in surprise at her hands, then at the crumpled form on the ground in front of her, and a wide smile split her face. She punched the air and whooped, “Alright! That’s what you get, you lousy pervert! Taken out by a little girl, by the Maidens that felt good!”

 

Reed smiled and released his semblance in relief. Seraphina walked over with a broad grin, clapping Abbey on the shoulder and drawing from her pocket a length of rope she had scavenged from a nearby alley. She hog-tied the man, then lifted him bodily and tossed him in a dumpster.

 

“We can tell Tanners about him later,” Seraphina said, dusting her hands off. “Hopefully we have patrol cars able to pick him up.”

 

Reed led Abbey away from the other members of the squad and turned her to face him. She was shaking a little as the adrenaline left her system, but she was smiling in satisfaction.

 

“I know that wasn’t easy for you, and I am sorry I had to push you that hard.”

 

Abbey shook her head. “Thank you, Reed. You were right, I’m sure that was easier than what we have to face, and I still almost panicked and let him overwhelm me. I learned a lot from that fight. Also, I appreciate you wanting to protect me.”

 

“How did I want to protect you? I’m the one that made you go in and fight him.”

 

“I saw your face when he grabbed my uniform,” she said, leaning forward and smirking at him. “If I hadn’t knocked him down there I don’t think he would have survived the afternoon.”

 

Reed shrugged but allowed himself to smile back at her. “Just looking out for my squad. Anyway, we still have a lot more encounters like that one, it’s time we moved on.”

 

They walked back to the group. Seraphina was comforting the Faunus woman who had almost been assaulted. The woman was thanking her repeatedly, and Seraphina looked decidedly uncomfortable as she patted the woman’s shoulder awkwardly. 

 

Abbey seemed to recover quickly, but Reed noticed a few changes. She went straight for where her weapon lay on the ground. Rather than holding it gingerly like she had before, she gripped it firmly with both hands close to the triggers, taking solace from the gun-spear’s presence. Her scanning of the surrounding areas, which had been jerky and sporadic before, was now calm and slow, making sure to take in everything.

 

She had won the fight, and gained some valuable experience for it. Reed smiled. He was starting to like his squad.

 

Reed’s team continued to snake its way through the district. Word seemed to be preceding them, as they turned corners they often found the street already deserted. Another group attempted to accost them, a group of no less than fifteen individuals.

 

While Reed and Seraphina took on the brunt of them, Abbey and Delphin took care of several who had the tactical foresight to attempt to surround the group of Guards. Near the end of the fight Reed heard several gunshots from Chase’s roof top, and a man with a hunting rifle toppled out of the second floor of the building opposite.

 

After the squad’s continued successes no one came up against them, and they neared the end of their route after several blocks with no confrontations.

 

They were in high spirits, when Chase’s voice took on a warning tone.

 

“ _Reed, hold up a second. There_ _’s a blockade at the end of the next street, give me a minute to check it out._ ”

 

After a minute of silence, during which Chase moved to a better vantage point, he started describing the scene around the corner.

 

“ _It looks some kind of rally. The street is blocked by a line of dumpsters, and there are a couple of guys with hunting rifles standing behind them. A small delivery truck is parked at the end of a dead end, and there_ _’s some guy standing on top of it yelling his head off about something. ‘Rise of humanity?’ ‘Profane corruption from the beasts?’ What the hell is this guy on about? There’s a pretty good sized crowd of people cheering him on, and there’s a symbol painted on the truck. It looks like… Maidens, that’s dark. It looks like a severed rabbit’s head with a chain wrapped around the snout._ ”

 

Reed relayed what Chase had seen to the others. Seraphina reflexively grasped the hilts of the knives at her waist, checking the abandoned street around them.

 

“Reed, this is bad,” she said in a nervous voice. “That sounds like the Heroes of Humanity. They are the most active and violent anti-Faunus group in Adigiar. A bunch of good-for-nothing thugs that peddle drugs and run human only bars.”

 

“There’s a group like that in Adigiar?” Abbey said in horror, holding a hand over her mouth.

 

Sera nodded seriously. “They get sadistic pleasure from torturing and murdering Faunus. Normally they meet in secret hide-outs and hidden rooms, but with the city in chaos they are like a rabid dog that’s been let off its leash.”

 

“ _Reed!_ ” Chase’s panicked voice sounded in Reed’s ear. “ _A couple of thugs just exited one of the buildings, they are pushing a family of Faunus at gun point into the center of the street!_ ”

 

A cold sweat broke out on Reed’s back. They didn’t have time to think or plan. They had to act, otherwise lives were going to be lost.

 

“Sounds like a lynch mob,” Reed hurriedly relayed to the others, “They have hostages, and it looks like they don’t plan on letting them live long.”

 

He wanted to tell Abbey to get back to headquarters with Delphin, but at his words she tightened her grip on her spear and a look of cold determination replaced her previous horror. Seraphina already had her knives out, and even Delphin’s eyes looked harder than normal.

 

There was no time to waste, so he just shouted, “Follow me!”

 

As he charged around the corner the others spread out in a loose fan behind him. He began shouting orders to the others. “Chase, take out those sentries! I will blast a way through the barricade. Delphin protect Abbey and you two watch our backs! Sera, focus on whoever you think is the most dangerous and keep an eye on those two. I will go for the hostages.”

 

“Sir!”

 

Reed couldn’t help but grin at the unity of the shout. He pointed the tip of Halmvoulge forward and his thumb found the new red switch. When they had closed half the distance he pushed it back and a sphere of fire exploded from the end. It rocketed through the air to crash into a dumpster.

 

The sentries’ shouts of warning were drowned in the explosion as the dumpster was thrown through the air, crashing to the ground next to the impromptu stage. One of the sentries was tossed against a nearby building by the force of the fire ball. The other leveled his rifle at Reed, but a gunshot rang in the air and the man fell, clutching a destroyed shoulder.

 

Reed charged through the opening, staff striking around him as he entered the shocked crowd. A part of him told Reed to introduce the racist scum to the full deadly prowess of Halmvoulge, but some of these people may be innocent, seeking safety in a crowd. Instead he used the ice infused end of his staff, leaving a dozen people incapacitated in the span of a few seconds.

 

“The Town Guard seeks to aid the disgusting part-beast demons!” the man on the truck shouted, a fanatic gleam to his eyes. He threw his arms wide, open vest revealing the rabbit’s head tattooed in disturbing clarity across his chest. “Show them that the Heroes of Humanity will free us from the forced cohabitation with our inferiors through whatever means necessary!”

 

The crowd turned on Reed’s squad, and he realized that his former worry that there were innocents among the crowd was unfounded. Every single person drew weapons from their belts, mostly a motley collection of knives and bats, but with the occasional sword and gun. From the heavy scars and ready stances, Reed judged that most of them knew how to use them.

 

Reed flipped out Halmvoulge’s ax head and activated the green switch as Seraphina’s knives transformed into the gleaming black claws. They met the first wave of thugs with ferocity. Seraphina was a blur of movement, claws slamming weapons from hands, carving gaping wounds into legs and shoulders, and leaving thugs unconscious on the ground. Reed left the majority of them to her, knocking a couple of thugs flying and charging towards the captives.

 

The thugs who had been escorting the Faunus family turned to meet him, a pair of sword wielding Heroes. They took up a coordinated stance, one crouched with a low guard while the other stood slightly behind with his sword held high. Reed activated his semblance as they darted in, swords snaking in and out in an intricate dance. He sought to smash their weapons from their grasp, but the pair were obviously experienced fighters and turned their blades with his parries to lessen the force of the blows.

 

Seraphina finished off a couple of thugs trying to approach Reed’s back, then tore through the crowd, shrugging off the occasional blow that crashed against her aura. A few thugs tried to circle around her, but they were met by Delphin and Abbey. The pair worked well together. Delphin’s experience was suddenly apparent as he engaged enemies in unhurried, precise attacks. Abbey flitted around him, darting in and out of the fray to strike crippling blows when the opportunity presented itself. Bullets fired again and again from Chase’s rooftop, the pistol wielding thugs hidden in the crowd being picked out with unnerving accuracy.

 

Reed realized that the sword wielding pair was far too skilled to be powered through. He deactivated the wind flowing from his weapon, shifting to a dueling stance and pushing his semblance further. Thinking him suddenly open, the pair lunged. One aimed a slash intended to disembowel him, the other a diagonal strike at his neck.

 

Ducking down, Reed slipped under the high strike and caught the other on his staff. As the taller man stumbled past him, Reed feinted at the other’s head. As his guard rose Reed redirected the strike down, and Halmvoulge’s blade bit deeply into the man’s thigh. He dropped with a bellow, and Reed turned in time to deflect a vertical strike at his head with the other end of his staff. He spun Halmvoulge in his hand and the spur slammed through the second thug’s upper arm, his sword dropping to the street with a clatter.

 

Reed knocked out both downed thugs for good measure, one with a fist to the jaw, the other with a foot to the temple. He turned back to the Faunus family and his heart sank. The fanatical leader of the “Heroes” stood with a revolver pressed to one of the hostage’s heads. Reed realized with horror that it was the young fox-Faunus with the white ears he had saved from Seraphina’s gang so many weeks ago.

 

Next to him, the boy’s weeping mother was being held by another thug. His head was shaved bare, defined arms gripping a pair of Tonfas, one against the woman’s throat. A man with a white-haired muzzle lay on the ground behind them, eyes blank and lifeless.

 

The thug holding the Faunus woman wasn’t looking at Reed. His eyes were focused on the muscled girl behind Reed, currently in the process of lifting a thug off the ground to slam him into the side of a building.

 

“I can’t believe you’ve chosen to throw in your lot with these pathetic fools, Seraphina.”


	13. Confronting the Past

Reed whipped around to look at Seraphina. She was holding a man above the ground by his throat, but her eyes had snapped to where the two Heroes of Humanity held their Faunus hostages. Her jaw was slightly agape in horror as she locked eyes with the bald, Tonfa-wielding thug.

 

“Manggi,” Seraphina breathed.

 

The man’s face split into a grin that more resembled a snarl than a smile. “That’s a good look on you, I was worried that you might have forgotten me. What I have done for and _to_ you.”

 

 Manggi released the Faunus woman from his grip. She immediately spun, running towards the bare-chested man holding a gun to the Faunus-boy’s head. Before she had taken two steps one Tonfa blurred, catching the woman at the nape of her neck and knocking her to the ground.

 

A hint of anger entered Seraphina’s eyes, but she remained rooted to the spot. Her legs twitched, as if telling her to run, but her hand tightened around the thug’s throat, causing his face to redden as he clawed at her gauntleted hand.

 

“You’ve got some explaining to do, Seraphina,” Manggi said, jumping down from the truck. Every Hero of Humanity within fifty feet drew back in fear, leaving Seraphina and Reed in an empty semi-circle at the end of the culdesac.

 

“I wasn’t worried when I heard you had joined the Town Guard. You and your gang aren’t the first to use the Guard as a stepping stone after leaving school. Plus, Jenny was kind enough to keep me updated on you all, and from her reports you were keeping up the good fight. I figured it was only a matter of time before you remembered your roots, and sought out your friends from the orphanage.”

 

Reed grit his teeth as he realized who this man must be. Seraphina had mentioned that an older kid at the orphanage had taken her under his tutelage. Had taught her how to fight, how to _hurt_ people, and, specifically, to hurt _Faunus_.

 

Manggi threw his arms wide, causing a synchronized flinch from the crowd. “Then, one day, Jenny shows up beat to hell. Tells me that you had the balls to _leave_ the gang? She said you even _insisted_ that they give you the exit beating, even though you could have _crushed_ them. ‘What,’ I wondered, ‘Happened to the ferocious girl I was so proud of? What happened to the girl who had so much potential to take the Heroes of Humanity to the next level?’”

 

His voice rose to a yell, so deep that it resonated in Reed’s chest.

 

“WHAT COULD HAVE CHANGED YOU SO?!”

 

Seraphina flinched and dropped the thug to the ground. The man beat a hasty retreat into the crowd of Heroes, gasping and clutching his neck.

 

Manggi turned to glare at Reed, his eyes so full of malice that Reed had to force himself not to step back out of instinct. “Jenny received more at my hand that day than you have ever been capable of delivering, Seraphina. I beat every little detail out of her, until she told me of your spat with a fellow Guard. Some limp-dick little _bastard,_ who had the gall to stand between you and some worthless Faunus _trash_.”

 

Advancing at a slow, menacing gait, Manggi began to twirl the Tonfas in lazy arcs at his side. His attention was now fully on Reed. Seraphina’s eyes darted between them in panic.

 

“You had a moment of weakness, Seraphina. We will discuss that later. At heart, though, you are one of us. You follow the hardest, the deadliest, the _strongest_. This dainty piece of Hermit-shit might have gotten lucky with you, but I will make you watch as I break him into pieces so small they won’t even interest the alley rats.”

 

Reed slid into a dueling stance. He tried to analyze the abilities of the baton-like clubs, but one part of the man’s speech had rooted itself in his mind. He expected anyone who was part of the Heroes of Humanity to have disgusting prejudice against the Faunus, but one thing Manggi had said was absolutely, wholly, unforgivable.

 

“What,” Reed ground out through clenched teeth, “Did you do to Sera?”

 

The man froze for a moment, then let out a roar of laughter. “Sera? _Sera_?! Oh Maiden tits, that’s _so cute_! You think, just because you gave her an endearing nickname, that changes who she is? I didn’t do anything worse to her than she did to dozens of the _beasts_ you cherish so dearly.”

 

“Sera’s changed,” Reed said, glancing at the obviously terrified girl. He was almost surprised at the firm resolution he felt at the statement. It was true that he had harbored suspicions about how true Seraphina’s transformation was. Seeing Manggi, though, Reed finally understood Seraphina’s past. This was no man. This was a monster in human clothes, worse even than the Creatures of Grimm. If she had been taken in by this… _thing,_ as a mere child, it was no wonder she had done what she had.

 

“All she knew was your _sick_ teachings. She didn’t know that there could be strength in protecting people. I didn’t beat her into submission, I knocked your idiotic philosophy out of her. She could have gone to you after she got out of jail, but she _chose_ to come to me. Not out of duty, or fear, but because she finally saw that there were ways of rising to the top without crushing others underneath her.

 

“Now, she is not my subject, nor my cronie. She is my friend.” Reed looked into her wide, fearful eyes. Then he turned back to Manggi and the smile became a snarl, matching Manggi’s feral smile. “I’m gonna show you what I showed her that night. I’m gonna show you what I do to people who _fuck_ with my friends.”

 

He closed distance on Manggi until he was almost in striking distance. The big thug brought his Tonfa into a high guard, and his monstrous grin didn’t so much as twitch. Reed’s claim didn’t seem to bother him in the slightest. He assumed that all he had to do was take Reed out, then beat Seraphina back into submission.

 

Well, Reed wasn’t about to give him the opportunity.

 

Before he could move, though, a pained cry rang out across the square. They both turned, Manggi just in time to pull his weapon tight against the side of his head, as a black, metal bear claw _slammed_ into it.

 

Manggi slid several feet along the ground, his manic grin breaking into genuine surprise, as he stared at Seraphina.

 

Her shoulders rose and fell as she took heavy breaths, her face hidden under her outstretched arm as she stared at the ground. With what looked like tremendous effort, Seraphina raised her head, and Reed saw tears coursing down her face. Her body quivered with fear, but she fell into a ready stance, one paw held in front, the other raised next to her head.

 

“Stay out of this, Reed,” she said, her voice steady despite the tangle of emotions on her face. “This is my fight. I’ve lived in fear of this man for too long. I’m tired of living by the code of the streets, tired of sleeping with one eye open.”

 

Seraphina took a deep breath, then yelled, “You hear me, Manggi?! I’m done listening to you! I’m going to fight with the man who taught me not to be ashamed, who accepted me for what I am!”

 

Confusion crossed Manggi’s face. Seraphina continued, her words fast and breathless. “Guess you beat Jenny too hard, otherwise she would have told you the news herself. I wouldn’t want you to take it easy on me, so here’s something you don’t know. My father… was a bear-Faunus!”

 

Manggi’s face contorted in rage. “Lies! This boy has infected you, convinced you that you have Faunus blood to get in your head!”

 

Seraphina cackled, the sound more mad than amused. “So he forged the letter my parents left with me on the orphanage doorstep?! No, I am part Faunus, and I’ve known for more than four years!”

 

“Hermit shit! You… I…”

 

“That’s right, Manggi, I knew even when you were still at the orphanage! I lived in fear of you finding out, spent countless sleepless nights clutching a knife under my pillow, waiting for you to come for me. Well, I’m done! I’m gonna smash you to a bloody pulp. Not for myself, but for the countless Faunus _we_ beat over the years! Then I’m gonna throw you in the Guard’s deepest, darkest cell, so no one will have to go through what I did!”

 

Manggi opened his mouth to retort, but Seraphina was already moving. She launched a frantic flurry of swipes at him, which were more ferocious than effective. He retreated under the blows, but he blocked each with fast arcs of his Tonfa that sent Seraphina’s attacks wide.

 

Manggi’s back-peddling slowed as he regained his composure. The surprise faded from his eyes, replaced by cold, hard, disgust. His lips curled in a snarl as, with a sweep of his arm, he slammed Seraphina’s right hand far out to the side. With a flick of his wrist the Tonfa spun under her arm, striking her floating ribs.

 

Seraphina staggered to the side, putting distance between them. Despite the Fire infusion of Seraphina’s claws, the Tonfas were holding up remarkably well. There were blacks scars along the outside of the clubs, but it was surface damage, nothing that would weaken the integrity of the weapons.

 

“I should have seen it,” Manggi said in disgust, faking high with one hand, then slamming the short end of the opposite Tonfa into Seraphina’s gut. She gasped in pain, doubling over and crossing her arms over her head to block his next overhand swing.

 

“No matter how hard I tried to teach you form, you would always fall into that _animalistic_ brawling of yours. Now it’s so obvious!” Seraphina managed to put up something resembling a proper guard, falling back as Manggi slammed his weapons into her arms again and again.

 

Reed, seeing that for the moment Seraphina had the fight in hand, turned to glance at the man still holding the Faunus boy hostage. The pistol was still pressed firmly against the terrified boy’s head, but the man was totally engrossed in the fight. His eyes were wide with glee as Manggi continued to beat at Seraphina’s defense, and he actually licked his lips when one Tonfa slipped through and glanced across her brow.

 

“Chase,” Reed whispered into the radio’s microphone, “We need to get the boy clear of this. Do you have a clear shot?”

 

“ _Yes, but I_ _’m out of ammo,_ ” Chase said, his voice strained with frustration. “ _You and Seraphina were doing fine, but Abbey and Delphin needed help._ ”

 

Reed’s gaze flickered towards the pair. They stood just inside the wreckage of the barricade at the mouth of the culdesac. They faced off against a line of very angry looking thugs, but an uneasy ceasefire seemed to have taken over once Manggi and Seraphina had started fighting.

 

“This is bad,” Reed muttered, more thinking aloud than talking to Chase. “We’ve delayed the execution, but we are badly outnumbered, and Seraphina can’t hold out much longer.”

 

As if on cue, Manggi spun low and and swept Seraphina’s leg out from under her. As she fell back he pointed a Tonfa at her, and Reed saw his thumb press down on the weapon’s handle.

 

Seraphina’s hand whipped up, just in time to catch a slug on the wrist of her gauntlets. The force of the projectile threw her hard against the ground, and the air left her lungs in an explosive gasp.

 

Reed made to move towards them, but Seraphina locked eyes with him. There was pain there, but mostly determination. He ground his teeth. She obviously wanted him to stay out of the fight, but how could he leave her at this monster’s mercy?

 

“Pathetic!” Manggi roared, putting his boot on her chest as she tried to rise and slamming her back to the ground. “Your semblance may have saved you from that, but instincts can only help so…”

 

Manggi trailed off, eyes widening in realization.

 

“Instincts. _Animal_ instincts. Oh by the Maidens!” He leaned back and roared with laughter. “You have no semblance! You passed off your animal half as your strength, when in reality you aren’t even as strong as a _Faunus_! They at least have a semblance, you are just a freak!”

 

Static crackled faintly in Reed’s ear, momentarily diverting his attention. He scowled in annoyance, returning his attention to Seraphina.

 

“I _have_ a semblance,” she spat, tears of frustration welling in her eyes. Reed’s heart lurched. Her semblance had first appeared when fighting for their lives on the road to Tani. Compared to that, this situation was _much_ worse, and yet it seemed she still couldn’t summon the giant, glowing bear.

 

Manggi snorted. “It must be pretty pathetic, then. Especially compared to _my_ semblance.”

 

The man bent his head to the left, cracking his neck. With each pop of vertebrae, his right arm seemed to _swell_. It more than doubled in size, corded muscles and thick veins stretching his skin tight. He cracked his neck the other way, his left arm growing to match his right.

 

The static coming from the ear-piece grew louder, and Reed cursed in frustration. “Chase, what in the Hermit’s name are you doing?”

 

“ _Nothing, it_ _’s not me!_ ”

 

Manggi looked down at himself, admiring the bulging arms that now made the Tonfas look like children’s toys. “You remember this form well, Seraphina. You know what it can do. But he doesn’t.”

 

The man turned his attention back to Reed, and the fear in Seraphina’s eyes turned to desperate anger. She slashed at Manggi’s thigh, but her position was poor. It deflected off the man’s aura, and he kicked her across the chin for her efforts before stalking towards Reed.

 

“I already know I can take you back anytime, Seraphina. Your punishment for this treachery will be slow and painful. Right now, though, I’m going to teach the boy what happens when someone takes what’s mine.”

 

Reed slid back into a ready stance. The static grew louder in his ear, the annoying sound feeding the frustration he felt. He wished Seraphina could have conquered this man herself, but he’d be Grimm food before he allowed Manggi to kidnap and torture her.

 

Suddenly, the annoying buzzing cleared, and it was replaced by a wave of confusing voices.

 

“ _Skittles, in position._ ”

 

“ _Spines, ready to go._ ”

 

“ _Ivory, let_ _’s do this._ ”

 

“ _Camo here, found the boy._ ”

 

“ _Alright everyone, on my mark._ ”

 

“ _Who the Grimm are you?!_ ”

 

“ _Shut it kid, take this and reload._ ”

 

“ _Go!_ ”

 

“DON’T YOU FUCKING TOUCH HIM!”

 

The last shout came from Seraphina, as the bear of pure aura burst from her.

 

Following her transformation, pandemonium ensued. A winged figure jumped from the roof of a nearby building, swooping towards the pair on top of the truck. A boarded up window on the first floor shattered into the culdesac, followed by a woman with a massive horn. From the second floor of the same building, a shower of what looked like needles sprayed into the crowd. _Two_ rifles started firing from where Chase was positioned across the street.

 

The final entrant was Corporal Tamus, who lumbered around the barricade at the mouth of the culdesac and started swinging a massive club at anyone not in a Town Guard uniform.

 

The bird Faunus, a man so big it was a wonder his wings could support his weight, dove down and grabbed the tattooed man’s pistol in one hand. He jerked it away from the Faunus boy, sweeping him into the crook of one arm. The feathered wings flapped powerfully, lifting them both into the air, and he slammed one boot into the man’s back. He tumbled off the truck with a shout, which was cutoff when the horned woman slammed into him.

 

Most of the crowd was in chaos, but those closest to Abbey and Delphin had a clear target. They surged forward, forcing the pair into a flurry of defensive parries and sweeps, before Tamus knocked them all to the ground with a single sweep of his club.

 

A group of Heroes made to rush the massive, red bear that was Seraphina, but Reed interposed himself. Halmvoulge spinning in his hands, the area around Reed became a mess of broken weapons, blooming ice crystals, and fallen thugs.

 

In his peripheral vision, Reed watched as Seraphina rushed Manggi. The bear that was her semblance looked slightly smaller than the one from the road patrol, but significantly more substantial. The red fur was so dark that he could barely see her inside of it, her snarl just visible behind the bared teeth of the bear.

 

Manggi spun to face Seraphina and his mouth dropped open, dumbfounded. Following the revelation that she hadn’t had a semblance during their time together, her current appearance was probably the last thing he had been expecting. She closed the distance between them on all fours, letting loose a roar that rattled the windows of the surrounding buildings.

 

Seraphina reared onto her hind legs, swiping with her front paws. Manggi attempted to duplicate the sweeping defensive arcs he had used previously, but her attack was too powerful and the Tonfas bounced uselessly off her arm. He barely managed to lean out of the way, her glowing claws passing a hairs-breadth from his neck.

 

Jumping back, Manggi gripped his weapons tightly. When Seraphina swung again he abandoned the spinning attacks, blocking her strike with the longer length of the Tonfa resting flush against his forearm. His arm strained under the power of the blow and he redirected it over his head, squatting low and bringing the butt of his other weapon up in a powerful uppercut.

 

The blow sailed past her as Seraphina jerked her head to the side, swinging her other paw around in a vicious horizontal strike. Manggi barely dropped his elbow in time to block the blow, and the sheer ferocity of it sent him skidding away. She turned with him and raised both paws high, slamming them down on his hastily raised triangle block. Her paws slid off his weapons and hit the ground with such force that the pavement shattered, sending chips flying in all directions.

 

Manggi moved his elbows tight against his sides and pointed the butts of his Tonfas at Seraphina. Using her snout Seraphina swept the weapons to the side, but not before they fired. The slugs glanced off her shoulder, causing her to stagger.

 

She tried to turn with the blow and lash out with one of her hind legs, but the motion looked awkward on the bear. Manggi blocked the weak blow with one arm, slamming the opposite Tonfa into her side several times before she forced him to jump away with a backhanded-swipe of her forearm.

 

Seraphina snarled as Manggi circled her, turning to keep him in front of her and favoring the side that had taken the slugs and repeated blows. She appeared to have noticed that the weakness of the bear came from its lack of flexibility, but unfortunately it looked like Manggi had as well. Darting in, he ducked her arm as she swiped at him, slamming the lengths of both weapons against her side before jumping back out to avoid her retaliatory backhand.

 

He jumped at Seraphina as soon as her hand passed him, giving her little time to recover. He curled one arm over the opposite shoulder, cocking it for a  horizontal slash. The gun in the butt fired and the weapon blurred toward Seraphina’s snout.

 

Unbalanced, with one arm still awkwardly out the side, Seraphina only had one option. She dropped to the ground, her muzzle flat to the stone, and the Tonfa whistled over her head. Manggi spun off balance as the expected resistance of wood on flesh didn’t come. Seraphina was quick to seize the opportunity, one paw darting out and catching him behind the ankles.

 

Manggi fell hard on his back, crossing his arms in front of him in an instinctive block. Seraphina was on him in an instance, her claws sliding between them and ripping them to the sides. Her paws fell flat on his arms, pinning them, and her snout flashed forward, snapping onto his neck with a burst of breaking aura.

 

Reed let out a relieved sigh as Manggi’s bulging muscles shrunk to their normal size, his semblance fading without aura to fuel it. His relief was short-lived, though, as he saw the muscles in Seraphina’s neck tense, her eyes narrowing as she prepared to shake the man, to rip his neck to pieces.

 

“Sera!”

 

She froze at his voice. Reed turned back to the thugs still assaulting his defenses. Stepping back, he spun Halmvoulge in a horizontal arc, spewing fire in a stream from its tip. The few Heroes of Humanity that remained recoiled, arms over their faces as they backpedaled.

 

Turning back to the pair on the ground, Reed saw the glowing bear flicker and disappear. Seraphina was panting heavily, sweat pouring down her face. Her bear paws, the metal ones made by Phaedra, still pinned Manggi to the ground.

 

“You really are just an animal.” His voice, while still hostile, held a hint of sadness in it. “To think I had pinned so much of the future of our movement on a Grimm-begotten halfbreed.”

 

“This animal almost killed you,” Seraphina said, her voice bitter. “In fact, I still want to. Every instinct is screaming at me to end your life now, end any possibility of you hurting anyone else ever again.”

 

She looked up and met Reed’s eyes, a sad smile forcing its way onto her face. “But that won’t solve anything, will it? Human, Faunus, these things don’t matter. The real monsters are outside the city walls. If we give in to our base urges, we are no better than the Creatures of Grimm.”

 

He returned her smile, his face growing warm. Looking at Seraphina, with her childhood tormentor at her mercy, repeating the sentiments he had shared with her, Reed couldn’t believe that he was responsible for such a profound change in another person.

 

“What a load of Hermit shit,” Manggi groaned. “The Grimm are animals, just like the Faunus. The world would be better off without _either_ of you.”

 

Manggi strained his arm, trying to bring the butt of his Tonfas to bear on Seraphina. The effort was pathetic, his attempts were futile without the strength to move Seraphina’s arms.

 

“Some people can’t be helped,” Reed said with a sigh. “But we don’t have to kill him to protect others from him.”

 

Seraphina nodded in agreement. She looked down at Manggi as he continued his pitiful struggle, feigning a thoughtful expression. Suddenly she jerked her head forward, her forehead slamming into Manggi’s brow. The man’s eyes rolled into the back of his head and he went limp.

 

Upon seeing their strongest member so thoroughly defeated, the fight went out of the remaining Heroes of Humanity. Most of the crowd had been incapacitated following the arrival of Tamus’s squad, but the few pockets of resistance that still stood dropped their weapons in defeat.

 

Seraphina sat back on her heels, the metal of the gauntlets retreating back into the knuckle-knives, which she sheathed at her waist. Reed helped her to her feet, but she swayed unsteadily as the adrenaline from the fight left her system. He pulled one muscled arm over his shoulder and she leaned on him gratefully, her other hand gripping his arm for balance.

 

“Well done, you two.” Tamus walked over to them, the crowd of thugs drawing back from him as he passed through their midst.

 

“We wouldn’t have had a chance if you hadn’t come to support us, Corporal,” Reed said, and Seraphina nodded tiredly in agreement. “Thank you.”

 

Tamus shrugged. “What can I say, other than Sergeant Tanners knows what he is doing. He set up my patrol to intersect with yours, in case you needed the help. If you are going to thank anyone, thank him.

 

“Now, if you will excuse me, I have to clean up this mess. You two take it easy, we are going to need you both well rested for the expedition.”

 

The enormous man turned, and his voice boomed across the courtyard. “Alright you lot, park your asses on the ground and keep your hands where we can see them. The snipers across the street won’t hesitate to fire on anyone that looks uncooperative.”

 

Tamus’s squad took up positions around the square, arms folded and glares menacing any thug that looked like they might make a break for it. Abbey and Delphin took up positions at the broken barricade, where Chase and Tamus’s sniper could keep an easy eye on them.

 

After a muttered conversation into his radio the large bird-Faunus swooped back into the square. Depositing the small boy next to Tamus, he took to the air once more, flying back to headquarters to requisition a prisoner transport.

 

Tamus beckoned to Ivory, the woman with the massive horn. She guided the boy gently to where the Faunus woman was regaining consciousness. She was obviously severely concussed, eyes wide and unfocused, but she clutched the crying child to her chest in a relieved embrace.

 

Reed and Seraphina sat a discreet distance away. She leaned heavily against his shoulder, but his eyes were fixed across the square.

 

Someone had thought to pull a blanket over the Faunus man. There was nothing any of them could have done for the man, inaction would have meant the lynching of the entire family. Still, while the blanket served as a visual barrier, it was also an undeniable statement that they had been unable to save _all_ of the hostages.

 

“No child should have to witness the death of his dad.”

 

Reed felt Seraphina turn to look at him, but he couldn’t look away from the shrouded form. Under that blanket, that body could have been anyone’s. In Reed’s mind the body wasn’t that of a young Faunus father with a white muzzle. It was a middle-aged man with styled black hair, in a tailored suit emblazoned with the Schnee dust company logo.


	14. The Expedition

Beowolves scampered back from the path, retreating under a hail of gunfire.

Reed added fireballs from Halmvoulge to the barrage. He had to admit, despite his complaints about the quality of the average Guard, the drills and exercises were perfect for a defensive wall. One Guard may not be a force to be reckoned with, but with a three-deep line of them all firing at once, the results were pretty good.

Seraphina stood behind him, knives held loosely in her hands. Her weapon was not suited to this kind of fighting, and gun-spears were in short supply, so she stood ready to support any breaks in the line.

“Argrom damn you, Reed!”

Turning, Reed saw Phaedra stalking towards him with hammer in hand. For a second he actually thought she was going to attack him, but she strolled past and slammed her hammer into the ground. A slab of dirt rose from the ground and turned over, extinguishing a shrub that a flaming Beowolf had set alight in its retreat.

“It’s bad enough that I’m on fucking forest fire detail instead of forging,” she said, glaring at him, “I don’t need you adding to my work load.”

“Um…” Reed said, “Who’s Argrom?”

“Local forest god that the old bastards up in Tani worship,” Phaedra said with a dismissive wave. “I’ve been swearing so much since this boring shit started that I got tired of the Hermit and the Maidens.”

Phaedra stomped further down the line, a steady stream of curses and expletives rolling from her mouth. Reed turned back to survey the dense forest that lined the road. The trees had a few new scars from poorly aimed shots, but the Grimm appeared to have been routed.

“Who’d have guessed that the Guard is actually decent at what it does,” Seraphina remarked. She put her knives back into their sheathes, then pulled a sling off her back and slid her arm into it. She’d recovered enough from the fight with Manggi to be of use to the expedition, but she still favored the side that had been hit by two slugs and half a dozen strikes to the ribs.

“We’ll see how they hold up,” Reed said pessimistically. “A small pack of Beowolves is not even close to what we will be facing at the Support Tower.”

“Probably true. Still, for all we know the Grimm may have left after taking out the tower. Unlikely, but you never know.”

“Mmm…” Reed hummed noncommittally, studying the muscled girl marching beside him out of the corner of his eye. Despite the emotional turmoil of the previous day, Seraphina had greeted him that morning in good spirits.

Well, good for her. She wasn’t bubbly or ecstatic, but that would have been more odd than if she was depressed. More than anything she seemed… self assured. Instead of hunching her shoulders like she was trying to go unnoticed she walked straight and tall, boots striking the dirt road with rhythmic, muffled thumps. Her eyes, which normally flicked back and forth like a cornered rat, moved in smooth, unhurried arcs, taking in the entirety of the forest around them. She even had a small smile that hadn’t left her face all day.

She caught him looking at her and raised a questioning eyebrow. “Something wrong?”

“Not wrong,” Reed said, still looking at her. “You just seem different today. And not the way I expected after yesterday.”

Seraphina shrugged. “I’ll admit, the fight with Manggi was unpleasant. After leaving the gang I honestly hoped to never see him again, and hearing him talk I can’t believe I was ever involved in something so vile.”

A sad look crossed her face, but she shook it off. “At least now I have closure. What I did to him doesn’t even begin to make up for what I have done to countless Faunus, but at least he won’t be doing any more damage anytime soon.”

Reed smiled, reaching out and gently patting her shoulder. “You’ve turned over a new leaf, Sera. You have your whole life to tip the scales, and I will help anyway I can.”

“I’d tell you two to get a room,” Chase said, “But I’m not sure where you’d find that out here.”

Reed started, cheeks growing warm as he glanced sheepishly behind him. Chase was rolling his eyes, while Abbey did a poor job of hiding a smirk behind her hand. Delphin, for his part, merely looked on impassively.

He’d completely forgotten that, as members of his squad, they followed two steps behind him at all times. It was going to take a while to get used to people paying constant attention to him.

Seraphina leaned over and whispered in his ear, “I figured something out during yesterday’s fight. Watch this.”

She turned back to Chase and lifted an eyebrow. “That’s big talk from a guy who hides in the back and takes potshots. How good are you, anyway?”

Chase bristled, glaring at Seraphina through his sand-colored bangs. “I’ll have you know I’m an excellent shot.”

“Oh yeah? Bet you can’t hit that boulder down there. That’s, what, 100 yards?”

Chase glanced over his shoulder. “Oh please, that’s eas-”

Turning back, Chase found the glowing red snout of Seraphina’s semblance inches from his face. He let out a garbled cry of surprise, falling backwards onto the dirt road.

The bear disappeared, a grinning Seraphina taking its place. Abbey snorted in laughter, then clasped her hand to her mouth to muffle the sound. Reed chuckled, and even Delphin’s mouth twitched up in something resembling a smirk.

“Guess I asked for that,” Chase grumbled, accepting Abbey’s hand as she hauled him to his feet.

“Since when can you control when the bear appears?” Reed asked as they resumed marching.

“Like I said, I figured it out yesterday. It has a… trigger is the only word I can think to describe it. Kind of a gut feeling. I just have to recreate the feeling I had that day on the road patrol, then let that feeling take over.”

Reed tried to pry her for more details, but she just smiled and refused to elaborate.

A strong gust of wind passed over head, diverting their attention. Looking up, Reed saw the Huntress Kiwidinek Kadir flying a slow circuit over the caravan. Air burst from the glowing green ends of her scarf, keeping her aloft as she surveyed their surroundings. Twin khopesh, crescent swords favored by the desert tribes of Vacuo, were held loosely at her sides, and Reed could swear he saw sparks crackling along the length of the blades.

Looking down, Reed saw Tamus making his way through the Guards towards them. He snapped a crisp salute, and his squad belatedly followed his lead. Tamus nodded to them as a group before turning to address Reed.

“We’re over due for a midmorning rest. Sergeant Tanners wants you to go inform the captains that we will be stopping in fifteen minutes. Four squads from each regiment are to be assigned perimeter duty for the duration of the stop, make sure to pass that along as well.”

Reed felt a knot of apprehension form in his stomach. “Excuse me, sir, but wouldn’t it be better for the sergeant or you to pass along the message? I mean, are the captains even going to listen to a private?”

“Gerstein is a racist and has a personal vendetta against Tanners,” Tamus said with a shrug. “Can’t hurt to try sending someone else. As for Captain Argento, it doesn’t matter who delivers the message, the trick will be getting her to listen at all.”

“Understood.” Reed groaned inwardly as Tamus started making his way towards the back of the regiment, where Tanners stood conversing with the rearmost squad.

“Well that sounds like a bucket of fun,” Chase said sarcastically. “Should we all go with you?”

“No, stay in formation,” Reed said with a sigh. “I will try and make this as quick as possible.”

Reed wove through the neat ranks of Sergeant Tanners’ regiment, which made up the rear-guard. Captain Collins had abstained from joining the expedition, “graciously allowing” the sergeant to take his place as head of his regiment. Reed had snorted upon hearing that. He doubted Captain Collins would have been any use once the fighting began, but he had more difficulty imagining the immensely fat captain marching for several days.

The expedition was composed of three regiments, and the line where one ended and the next began could not have been more obvious. Walking out of Tanners’ Guards, Reed entered a disorganized clutter of Guards surrounding the expedition’s one vehicle, a large hover-truck carrying the majority of their supplies.

As Reed walked through them, he was shocked to see flasks being passed around, with no attempt at discretion. Despite the early hour many of the Guards appeared to be well into their drinks, faces red and voices boisterous as the called out to him.

“Oi, laddie, who’re you?”

“Doesn’t matter, do it? Join us for a drink!”

“He’s too young for alcohol, isn’t he?”

“Whatever, when I was his age I coulda drunk you all under the table!”

“When you were his age you weighed more than an Ursa.”

“Hey, that ain’t fair. I only weighed two-thirds of yer normal Ursa, I’ll have you know.”

Reed waved aside the invitations awkwardly, scanning the crowd for anyone that looked like they were in charge. After having no success with that, he picked someone out of the crowd that appeared to be sober and asked where he could find Captain Argento.

“Up top,” the man said, waving dismissively at the hover-truck. From his position Reed could just make out the tip of a tricorne hat and a feather waving in the breeze atop the vehicle.

Grasping the ladder on the truck’s back door, Reed began to haul himself up. He wondered what kind of person Captain Argento was, allowing her subordinates to drink themselves silly in dangerous territory.

Cresting the top of the truck, a slim woman came into view. She wore a Town Guard uniform that looked too big for her, her feathered hat was pulled low over her face, and an abnormally long rapier was laid on the roof next to her.

She was also fast asleep.

Her head was cushioned on a bedroll, and gentle snoring could be heard, muffled somewhat by the hat. Reed cleared his throat loudly, but the woman didn’t so much as twitch.

“Excuse me? Captain Argento?”

There was still no reaction. He reached down to shake her shoulder. The movement shifted her hat, revealing a pair of open, unfocused gray eyes. Reed pulled back, somewhat unnerved when the snoring continued unabated.

“Captain, we are going to break for the midmorning rest shortly. Sergeant Tanners asked me to remind you that each regiment needs to assign four squads to perimeter defense.”

The glazed eyes slowly focused on Reed, and she groaned as one hand reached slowly up to push the hat back over her eyes.

“What a pain…”

Her voice was so low that Reed could barely make out the words. He understood now why Tamus had said it would be difficult to get her to listen.

He crossed his arms, frowning down at the snoring woman. It was disturbing how normal this behavior seemed to him now, after several months with the guard. The captains especially seemed to take their positions for granted, each of them wholly unsuited for the responsibility of the position.

Well, there was nothing else for it. He had tried to be diplomatic. He unslung Halmvoulge from across his back and rested one end of the staff on her side. He then proceeded to poke her repeatedly.

“Captain. Captain. Captain. Captain. Captain. Captain.”

The woman tried to ignore him, attempting to squirm away from his incessant prodding. When she reached the edge of the roof and almost fell off she finally conceded, sitting up and slapping away the staff.

“By the Hermit, fine! I’m up, I’m up, stop your Grimm-begotten jabbing.”

Argento stretched, the sleeves of her too-big uniform sliding down her arm. Reed was surprised to see that her arms were lean and muscular, not at all what he expected from someone so obviously lazy.

Looking at him, her eyes narrowed. “Who’re you? What do you want?”

Reed repeated the instructions, frustration straining his voice. He’d already waisted too much time on her, and he still had to deal with Captain Gerstein.

Argento nodded distractedly, slowly sliding back down onto her back. Reed gave her another swift jab to the side.

“Ouch! Fine, fine. Maidens, you’ve got a lot of balls for a lowly private.”

Once he was sure Argento would make the necessary arrangements, Reed hopped off the truck and made his way to the head of the expedition force.

Gerstein’s Guards were just as unorganized as Argento’s, but there was an obvious difference. Every single Guard in Gerstein’s regiment looked like they spent every spare moment in the gym. Man and woman alike were massively muscled, strutting down the road with chests out and arms swinging.

They looked to have the collective intelligence of a juvenile Creeper.

The captain marched in the center of his troops. He was big, even by comparison to the gargantuan group. He was glaring up at Huntress Kadir, and didn’t notice Reed until he was right next to the man.

“Captain Gerstein.” Reed saluted, trying his best not to convey any sarcasm in the movement.

“Eh?” Gerstein looked down and his eyes narrowed. “Ah, it’s you. The Grimm-begotten private that upstart Tanners insisted on bringing to a top priority meeting. What do you want?”

Reed relayed the information Tamus had given him. Gerstein snorted in disgust.

“We’ve only been marching for four hours, and that slacker’s men already need a break? What a joke.”

His gaze returned to the sky, anger clouding his face upon locating the Huntress that had replaced him as head of the expedition.

“We should be marching straight to the tower, none of this rest bullshit. But what do I know? I’ve only been in the Guard longer than that little Grimm-turd has been alive.”

He refocused on Reed. “Well, what the Grimm are you still doing here? I got the message, scram kid.”

Reed gave the captain a stiff salute, then turned and marched back towards the rear-guard.

* * *

 

“Oi! Aoki, wasn’t it?”

Reed turned to stare over the crowd of Guards settling down for their breakfast. Near the back of the expedition he located Ivory, the woman with the massive horn, waving him over. He headed in her direction, the rest of his squad following shortly behind.

As they drew closer the rest of Corporal Tamus’s squad of Faunus became visible seated on the ground. Tamus himself was absent, but that wasn’t surprising. Since the start of the expedition he had become Sergeant Tanners’ shadow, never leaving his side for more than a minute.

“Pop a squat, kids.” The woman took her own advise, dropping to the ground with a puff of dust. The winged man next to her lifted his food above his head, making an indignant sound that resembled a squawk.

“Whoops, sorry Skittles. Everyone, you remember Private Aoki, right?”

Next to Skittles, a young woman with a mane of quilled hair snorted. “Yeah, the kid with the death wish.”

“What the Grimm is that supposed to mean?” Seraphina said, eye’s narrowing at the woman, who for her part seemed more interested in her food than any of them.

“It’s okay, Sera,” Reed said, sitting down next to a tall, thin man whose name he didn’t know.

“I’m Private Reed Aoki, but you can just call me Reed. The one with the temper is my second-in-command, Seraphina. Then there’s Abbey, Chase, and Delphin.” He motioned to each in turn, and they all nodded to the group before sitting down.

“I’m Ivory,” The horned woman said, nodding back to him. “I’m Tamus’ second. The one without any manners is Spines. This big lug is her brother, Skittles, and that’s Camo.” Spines ignored the introduction, while her brother flapped one over-large wing at them.

It was Reed’s first time seeing the last member of Tamus’ squad. He had a calm, slightly bemused expression, and a large pair of furry ears laid flat against the back of his head. He reached a hand out to Reed.

“Card Mov,” he said, and Reed shook the proffered hand. “Though most people just call me Camo. Nice to meet you.” He turned and nodded at Chase. “Nice to see you again, Chase.”

Chase started, looking at the man in surprise. “Um, yeah, nice to see you too…”

Reed raised an eyebrow at Chase’s reaction. Camo chuckled softly next to him. “Sorry, kid. I prefer not to meet people for the first time in the middle of a stressful situation. Under pressure I tend to be a little…”

“Mean?” Ivory offered.

“Terrifying?” Spines said, Skittles nodding in agreement.

“I was going to say short-tempered,” Camo said, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment.

“‘Shut it kid,’” Ivory suppressed a grin as her voice dropped to a mocking baritone. “‘Take this and reload.’”

Camo’s cheeks tinged red, but he gave a self-deprecating smile as a chuckle ran through the group.

“So how long have you all been in the Guard?” Abbey asked. Even seated on the ground she appeared to be having a hard time staying still. She fidgeted constantly, changing positions every few seconds and randomly digging through her bag.

Ivory pursed her lips in thought, eyes unfocused. “Maidens, I guess its been more than five years now for me. Time sure flies, it feels like just yesterday I was a recruit.”

“I joined last year,” Camo said, before taking a bite from his field rations.

“So you were in the same batch of recruits as Corporal Tamus and Sergeant Tanners?” Reed asked, his interest peaked. “What were they like as recruits?”

“Well…” Camo said hesitantly. “I joined under slightly unusual circumstances.”

Ivory snorted. “By the Hermit, man. You gotta learn to brag a little.” She turned to Reed, gesturing as she explained, “Camo here single handedly stopped a pack of Creepers from breaching the wall. It was late at night, and the Guards on wall duty were, um… asleep. They didn’t notice the half dozen or so Grimm until they had started climbing the wall.

“Camo lives in an apartment on the edge of town. He saw the danger, picked up his rifle, and shot the first couple Creepers to crest the wall. The gun shots woke the Guards, who raised the alarm and repelled the remaining Grimm. After that he was given special permission to join the Guard immediately, without going through training.”

“You make it sound like more than it is,” Camo said, head down as he picked at his food. “I only killed three of them, the Guards took care of the rest.”

“Only three,” Seraphina snorted. “You killed more in the span of a couple seconds than most Guards get in their first year.”

Camo shrugged, not looking at them.

“What about you two?” Chase said, in an obvious effort to move attention away from the embarrassed Faunus. “Skittles and… Spines was it?”

“Two years,” Skittles said shortly, his face twisted in obvious effort. He looked at his sister, as if expecting her to continue the explanation, but she was glancing pointedly in the other direction.

“Spines,” Ivory said, gentle rebuke in her tone. “Care to join the conversation?”

“Not particularly.” Her voice was hard, and she refused to look at any of the members of Reed’s squad.

Ivory sighed. “Sorry about her. She’s shy around new people.”

Spines glared at her. “You know that’s not true, Ivory. I just don’t see the point in getting chummy with some shitty humans.”

Reed looked at her in surprise. Seraphina bristled next to him, but it was Chase who spoke first.

“What’s that? You gotta problem with us being human?”

Spines whirled on him. “Yeah, I do. The lot of you are rotten to the core, and I want nothing to do with any of you. As soon as Skittles and I save up enough money we are moving to Menagerie. You can take this infected continent.”

Skittles glancing awkwardly between Spines and Chase, making calming gestures at his sister. Seraphina’s hand struck the ground in front of her and she glared at the woman.

“If humans are rotten, then why the Grimm did we risk our lives to save a Faunus family?”

Spines met Seraphina’s gaze without flinching. “Your one to talk. I know about you, every Faunus in the Guard does. The half-breed who despised her mixed heritage so much she hunted down Faunus for sport.”

“Hey, Sera’s changed!” Abbey exclaimed, waving her hands in a placating gesture. “I didn’t know her back then, but I’ve seen how much her past bothers her. Plus, you have to have heard how she changed. Reed protected multiple Faunus from her gang, as long as he’s around-”

“Ah yes,” Spines interrupted. “Reed Aoki, protector of Faunus. That’s all a facade though, isn’t it? Really you just want to ditch the Guard and go to Beacon. You’re not a guardian of the weak, you’re just a child with a hero complex.”

Ivory looked on in horror as the conversation totally derailed. Reed’s squad glared daggers at Spines, while Camo and Skittles looked like they wanted to sink into the ground. Seraphina looked like she wanted to tackle Spines, but Reed put a restraining hand on her shoulder.

“You are well informed regarding our pasts,” Reed said, forcing his voice to remain steady and calm. “But you’ve put together the information wrong. You’re right, I didn’t want to join the Guard, it’s not exactly most people’s preferred career path. You are also right when you say that protecting Faunus is not my primary motivation for becoming a Huntsman.

“You see, I don’t want to protect just Faunus. I want to protect humans too. I just want people to live in peace, to not feel like they have to fight each other based on something as inconsequential as appearance.”

Spines looked thoroughly unimpressed by the speech, and an awkward silence fell over the group. It lasted for the remainder of the rest, everyone’s eyes downcast as they finished their meal. Finally it was broken when Tamus walked by, his voice booming over the crowd of seated Guards.

“Rest is over in ten minutes. Pack up your stuff and be ready to move.”

* * *

 

Reed excused himself from the group, striding into the trees to find a spot to relieve himself.

As Reed slipped through the trees a flash of movement caught his eyes. Necessary ablutions forgotten, he slipped through the trees as quietly as possible. Multiple times he thought he lost the figure, only to catch sight of something disappearing around a tree: a boot, the hem of a coat, the shining wood end of a staff.

The clearing came so suddenly that Reed almost stumbled out into it. He caught himself, bracing on a tree, and just barely managed to remain concealed in the shadows. To his surprise, Sergeant Tanners stood alone in the clearing. His gun-spear, an elegant piece of swirling metal that put the Guard weapons to shame, was held at ease in one hand, with the tip pointed at the ground and the haft crossing diagonally across his back.

Just when Reed began to wonder what the sergeant was doing out here alone, a rustling began in the trees behind him. He pressed himself flat against the trunk, worried that someone would catch him spying on Tanners, but no one appeared between the trunks. Rather, the rustling was in the leaves of the treetops, and moments after it passed over Reed the Huntress Kiwidinek Kadir dropped into the clearing.

“Huntress Kadir,” Tanners said, bowing respectfully to the woman.

To Reed’s surprise, Kiwidinek Kadir laughed at the gesture.

“Felix, we’ve been working together for months. How long until you loosen up a little? If you can’t stop the bowing, can you at least call me Kiwi? I’ve asked about a dozen times already.”

Tanners mouth twitched slightly, a gesture that conveyed mild amusement quickly hidden. “I can consent to Kiwidinek, anything less would be an insult to one of your station.”

“Ugh, you are impossible. You even pronounce it right. How am I supposed to be annoyed with your formality when you are one of the few people in the region who can actually say my full name?”

Reed gawked from his hidden vantage point, mind racing. The two bickered amicably, each obviously familiar with the other. What did the Huntress mean when she said they had been working together for months? At the expedition meeting neither had given any indication that they had met before. What had they been doing?

“Will our Hermit-loving friend be joining us?” Tanners asked, and Reed snapped out of his reverie. “It feels weird to meet without his sour face reminding us of the problem at hand.”

“He’s busy,” Kiwidinek said with a shrug. “A trio of Deathstalkers crested the ridge to the west less than twenty minutes ago. We agreed that while so many Guards could probably handle them, it would be better not to risk any casualties so early in the expedition.”

Tanners sighed and nodded. “If it was anyone else I would be worried about those odds, but that man is a force to be reckoned with. I almost feel bad for the Grimm. Regardless, it’s actually good that he is indisposed. I have information of a sensitive nature, and I would prefer it be for your ears alone.”

Kiwidinek raised an eyebrow at that, but did not object.

“Tell me something first, Kiwidinek,” Tanners continued. “We haven’t had a chance to talk alone since we lost contact with the CCT Support Tower. You’ve been observing and thinning the Grimm in the mountains, what happened two nights ago?”

“The Grimm were more agitated than normal,” Kiwidinek said. The humor in her voice was gone, replaced with worry and concern. “I was certain they were about to move on the city. I pulled out my scroll to contact you, when suddenly they started to move en masse. Not south towards Adigiar, but west, in the direction of the Support Tower. I tried to call you, but…”

“Let me guess,” Tanners interrupted. “Even though the Grimm had justed started moving, the signal was already down.”

Kiwidinek narrowed her eyes at Tanners and nodded. “Whatever took down the tower, it wasn’t the Grimm.”

“For the past several months I have been wandering the city at night,” Tanners continued, “Ears open for anything that could draw the Grimm in such numbers. I knew it couldn’t be anything obvious, otherwise they would have rushed the city long ago. It had to be something hidden, something that was slowly building to a crescendo.

“Two nights ago, I picked up an encrypted signal. I don’t know what exactly it was, but I traced it to an abandoned building in the slums. That alone was unusual. The slums are packed to bursting these days, but even the homeless of Adigiar were giving this place a wide birth.

“Despite my best efforts to enter unnoticed I must have triggered some sort of silent alarm. I heard a loud crash from a room at the back and the signal immediately cut out. I broke down down the door in time to see a shadowed figure slip out the window, leaving a broken radio receiver behind.”

“Is there a reason you are beating around the bush?” Kiwidinek asked in exasperation.

“I’m trying to give you all the information,” Tanners replied calmly, “Without tainting it with my own bias. Nevertheless, I will speed this up. I pursued the figure through the streets, all the way to the Town Guard Headquarters. I lost them at the entrance, but this was abandoned on the threshold.”

Tanners reached around and pulled something from his waistband. A gleaming white mask, stylized with red accents, caught the morning light. Reed stared at it, feeling like he had just been slugged in the stomach.

“It appears that the Town Guard has been infiltrated by the White Fang.”


	15. Too Much and Not Enough

“This is such Grimm-shit,” Phaedra complained, as she marched at the back of Reed’s squad. “I spent the last break running around on the orders of that waste of space excuse for a forgemaster, now I have to spend the lunch rest with you all on perimeter duty?”

 

“You’re the one who equipped Reed’s weapon with a Maiden-blessed _flamethrower_ ,” Seraphina reminded her. “It’s been damn useful, but it also almost started half a dozen forest fires.”

 

“That’s not the only reason you’re here, Phaedra,” Reed said, turning and giving her a serious look. “I asked the forgemaster to assign you to our squad for the break. I need to discuss something with you and Sera, away from prying ears.”

 

Phaedra continued to scowl, but her eyes shifted from angry to questioning. Reed turned away from her without a further word. They were still too close to the expedition, the risk of them being overheard here was too great. They were assigned to guard the mouth of a ravine, half a mile from the road. That would be as good a place as any to hold a private conversation.

 

Reed’s thoughts had been an incoherent turmoil for the last several hours, following the midmorning rest. The White Fang had infiltrated the Guard. There was no way of knowing whether or not they were on the expedition, but Reed would have bet Halmvoulge that they were. The support tower going down _before_ the Grimm started moving, Tanners catching a White Fang member entering the Town Guard Headquarters on the same night, all the evidence pointed towards the White Fang _wanting_ the Town Guard on this expedition.

 

Half of the Guard had been left behind to maintain order in Adigiar, but the most capable, high profile members were on this expedition. Maybe the White Fang just wanted the Guard out of Adigiar, but an isolated group far from backup just seemed like too big a target to Reed.

 

“I take it you aren’t going to tell the rest of us what the Grimm you are talking about?” Chase asked, a sour note in his voice as he adjusted his grip on the rifle in his hands.

 

“I don’t know, Chase,” Reed said, frustration evident in his voice. “Before any big decisions are made I need to see what Phaedra and Sera think. No offense to you and Abbey, but I trust their judgment.”

 

“No offense taken, Reed,” Abbey said, jabbing Chase hard with her elbow. “You’ve known them longer than us.”

 

Chase muttered something under his breath, but the shrug of his shoulders conveyed that he was willing to wait, at least for the time being.

 

The forest around them grew thinner as the ground began to slope upwards under their feet. After five more minutes of walking, they reached the mouth of the ravine.

 

Steep rock faces rose on either side of them, stretching as far as they could see to the west and east. A ravine cut straight through the ridge where they stood, approximately fifty feet wide at the mouth. It sloped upwards, a smattering of trees growing on what was mostly a grassy plain.

 

Reed admired the tactical foresight of stationing a squad of Guards here, and imagined it was most likely Tanners’ doing. According to Huntress Kadir, the majority of the Grimm in the region were congregated on the other side of the ridge. While a few might be able to scale the steep rock wall, any large numbers in the area would have to pass through this ravine.

 

“Alright,” Reed said, studying the landscape. “Chase, I want you up on the ridge to the west. Keep an eye on the mountain entrance of the ravine, as well as along the ridge. If so much as a Creeper gets on this side, I want to know about it.”

 

“Yeah alright, I’m on it,” Chase said sullenly, jogging over to the rock face and jumping the thirty feet to its crest.

 

“Abbey, Delphin,” Reed continued, “You stay here at the mouth of the ravine and keep an eye on the forest behind us. Just because the Guard is in that direction doesn’t mean the Grimm can’t slip around behind us.”

 

“Sir!” Abbey said, throwing a quivering salute. Delphin mimicked the gesture several unhurried seconds later.

 

“Sera, Phaedra, walk with me a little. I find it easier to think while I’m moving.”

 

* * *

 

 

“They’re here?!”

 

Phaedra and Seraphina’s voices were a chorus of disbelief, mouths agape as they stared at Reed. He paced back and forth between them, nervous energy undiminished by a morning of hard marching.

 

“At the very least the White Fang have infiltrated the Town Guard,” Reed said, brow creased. “I don’t know for a fact that they are on this expedition, not even Sergeant Tanners knows that much. But my gut says that there is something off with this whole expedition.”

 

“Well that’s fucking obvious,” Phaedra said, snorting. “Kiwi said the Grimm were congregated near Adigiar on the night we lost contact with the Support Tower. The CCT system is heavily guarded and fortified, it would take more than a small pack of Grimm to take down the tower.”

 

“It seems pretty obvious that the White Fang were responsible for the tower,” Reed mused. “But how did they do it? Did they send a squad to kill the operators? And why did the Grimm head in the direction of the tower _after_ it fell? To attract an entire horde there must have been incredibly strong negative emotions coming from the tower.”

 

“Something else is bothering me about all of this,” Seraphina said, arms crossed as she stared at the ground in thought. “The Faunus that Tanners chased that night must have known they were being followed. If they weren’t a Guard, they would have attracted suspicion after entering HQ. So why did they go to the headquarters, knowing Tanners was hot on their heels and would deduce that the White Fang had infiltrated the Guard?”

 

Reed stared at Seraphina in surprise, while Phaedra gaped openly at her.

 

“What?” Seraphina said, looking between the two.

 

“That’s… a brilliant question,” Phaedra said, shocked. “Since when are you capable of deductive reasoning?”

 

Seraphina bristled at the question. “Listen here, Pixie, I-”

 

“Okay,” said Reed, stepping in before the conversation derailed. “Ignore Phaedra, Sera. You know she’s just pressing your buttons.”

 

Seraphina glared at Phaedra, who shrugged, as if to say, _Yeah, but I_ _’m not wrong._

 

“The fact is, you’re right. There was no reason for them to go to HQ unless they _wanted_ Tanners to know the White Fang had infiltrated the Guard. So the next question is why? Why tip their hand?”

 

“To sow discord, obviously,” Phaedra said. “The Guard is already a bunch of fucking toddlers one step away from a temper tantrum. Tanners and Kiwi have been doing what they can to keep everyone in line, but this means that they now have to suspect their own allies of foul play.”

 

“I’ve got a really bad feeling about this,” Seraphina whispered. “All of the Guard’s best fighters are on this expedition. I would bet my knives that something really bad is going to go down in Adigiar…”

 

“You don’t think the expedition _is_ the target?” Reed asked. “Think about it, so many prominent fighters, isolated, without backup? Doesn’t that sound like the perfect opportunity?”

 

“To do what?” Phaedra said in agitation. “I hate to agree with Miss Muscles, but she’s right. Most of the Guard may be trash, but between Kiwi, Tanners, Tamus, and Gerstein’s pack of gym jockeys, the expedition is not exactly an easy target.”

 

“Don’t you think your view is a little biased, Reed?” Seraphina said, a sympathetic note in her voice. “I know the White Fang killed your father, but that doesn’t mean they are dogging your steps, intent on destroying your life. Larger forces are at work here, who knows what they wa-”

 

“I know what they want!” Phaedra yelled, staring at them in triumph. “Reed, why did the White Fang kill your old man? Because he worked for the Schnee Dust Company!”

 

Reed and Seraphina stared at Phaedra in confusion, to which she rolled her eyes.

 

“Think about it, the White Fang are a terrorist organization, right? Practically every day there is something on the news about them burning down some store or another. They gotta be after the Dust!”

 

Reed was already shaking his head. “Nothing was missing from the warehouse on the night my dad was killed, they used the store of Dust to _cause_ the explosion.”

 

“There have been a string of Dust robberies around the kingdom lately,” Seraphina added, “But they were all done by a human. They’ve got pictures, it was some guy with orange hair and a bowler hat. What are the odds the White Fang would work with a human on anything?”

 

“Adigiar is a hub for all Dust transport in southern Vale!” Phaedra yelled, throwing her hands up in frustration. “Why _else_ would they want the Guard out of Adigiar?”

 

Reed sighed. “I don’t _know_. But your theory doesn’t explain why the Faunus Tanners chased let themselves be seen entering HQ.”

 

“Maybe it was to convince Tanners that the expedition needed the best Guards?” Seraphina said, her voice unconvinced.

 

“Or maybe it was to try and get him to stay behind,” Reed said. “There’s just too much we don’t know.”

 

“Fucking wrinkly Hermit balls,” Phaedra swore. “It doesn’t make a Grimm’s worth of sense! What are we supposed to do with this information? Interrogate every Faunus on the expedition?”

 

“That won’t do any good,” Reed said, shaking his head. “We’d be no better than the Heroes of Humanity if we persecuted every Faunus without any concrete evidence.”

 

“Plus that would reveal what we know, and what we don’t,” Seraphina added. “It would make it obvious that we suspect _something_ , but have no real idea who is behind it.”

 

“I still think that the city is in more danger than we are,” Phaedra grumbled. Reed opened his mouth to retort, but she barreled on, “Look, focus on what we _know,_ alright? The Grimm were _not_ the ones to take out the tower, but they flocked to the tower _after_ it fell. Tanners followed an encrypted _radio_ signal, one not reliant on the CCT, on the night we lost contact with the tower. That signal led him to a member of the White Fang.  


“Regardless of whether the Faunus allowed themselves to be followed or not, those things all point to the White Fang taking out the tower. For an isolated town like Adigiar, that tower is the difference between life and death. Its only natural the Guard would send its best forces to reclaim it, and you even said that Gerstein wanted to send the _entire_ damn guard to get the job done. It was Tanners who insisted a protective force be left behind, and Kiwi who made sure it happened.

 

“We now know that Kiwi and Tanners have been working together for months. Even if she didn’t know about the White Fang member Tanners ran into, she would have trusted he had good reason for leaving half the Guard behind. Tanners knows the White Fang will have one of two targets: the expedition or the town. There’s been no sign he plans on turning the expedition around, so at the end of the day there is only one real question that affects what we do next.”

 

“And that is?” Seraphina said in exasperation.

 

Phaedra turned and met Reed’s gaze, her expression serious.

 

“Do you trust Tanners?”

 

Seraphina turned sharply to stare at Reed. He thought about it for a moment, but there was almost no doubt in his mind when he answered.

 

“I do,” Reed said with a shrug. “He’s never given me any reason not to. Tanners may be stern and unyielding, but he wears his heart on his sleeve. He’s never made any secret of his disdain for how the Guard runs, and you can see in his own subordinates that he values skill and critical thinking over sycophants that will agree with whatever he says. He may keep some secrets, but its obvious to me that he puts the safety of the town and people above all.”

 

Phaedra raised her hands, palms up. “Well, that’s that.”

 

Reed nodded in agreement. “I guess we should tell Chase and Abbey what’s going on. I wouldn’t want to build resentment in my squad by picking favorites. I will call them over and-”

 

He was cut off by a cry from the western ridge.

 

“Grimm incoming!” Chase yelled. “Watch out!”

 

* * *

 

 

Reed, Phaedra, and Seraphina all stopped talking immediately, falling into ready stances and turning to face the ravine.

 

Reed looked in frustration at the small horde of Grimm quickly emerging from the sparse cover. More than a dozen Creepers charged at the front of the group, faster than their companions despite only having two legs. A handful of Beowolves were hot on their heels, one a gargantuan beast more than ten feet tall that could only be an Alpha. Behind them, lumbering in the wake of their companions, were a pair of massive Ursai, slightly shorter than the Alpha but more than twice its mass a piece.

 

He wanted to focus on the White Fang problem, but for now he would have to put it aside. If he devoted anything less than his full attention to that number of Grimm, someone would pay for it.

 

“We have to call for backup!” Abbey yelled, as she and Delphin ran up to join Reed.

 

Phaedra snorted. “They’d never make it in time. There’s less than twenty of them anyway, we got this.”

 

Reed threw his semblance into full burn, giving him precious seconds to think. Chase was already opening fire on the Creepers, and for every three shots he fired one crashed to the ground. At that rate he could take out three or four before he had to reload, and half of them before he ran out of ammo. Phaedra and Seraphina could handle the smaller Beowolves easily enough, but that Alpha and the Ursai would present a much bigger problem.

 

“Phaedra!” Reed shouted. “On my mark, make a wall to funnel them to the west. Sera, I need you to throw me right over the Alpha. I’m talking inches, just barely enough to clear it. Then you and Phaedra hold the space between the ravine and wall. Abbey and Delphin can handle any Creepers that slip through, but don’t let a single Beowolf get past you!”

 

“Sir!” His squad shouted.

 

“Yeah, yeah, I got it,” Phaedra grumbled.

 

Seraphina roared as she transformed into the giant bear. She stood on her hind legs, reaching one translucent red paw behind her. Reed climbed onto it, bracing one hand on her shoulder while the other held Halmvoulge out for balance.

 

“Make that wall as soon as I pass over the Creepers, I want them to run smack into it. Alright Sera… Now!”

 

The aura-composed muscles of Seraphina’s bear flexed, and suddenly Reed was hurtling through the air. He saw the ground before the Creepers bulge, and slabs of rock burst from it so close to Reed that he felt the edge of one clip the toes of his boots.

 

The Alpha loomed before Reed, roaring a challenge as he closed in on it. The pair of smaller Beowolves on either side of it turned to track his path, but they were too slow to intercept him. Reed flipped the switch on Halmvoulge’s shaft, and the halberd head extended into the ready position.

 

Seraphina’s aim was almost perfect, Reed was on track to fly about a foot over the Alpha’s head and slightly to its left. He gripped Halmvoulge just under the blade, with his other hand braced in the middle. Reed lined up Halmvoulge’s ax head with the dull white mask of the massive Grimm, aiming to slice its head in half as he passed by.

 

The Alpha roared again, raising it’s arm and slashing at him faster than any Beowolf Reed had encountered before. He was forced to twist to avoid the blow, his aim dropping as the giant claws passed inches from his side. Halmvoulge passed though the monster’s shoulder instead of its intended target, the force of the blow spinning Reed towards the ground.

 

Landing in a roll, he quickly pushed himself back to his feet and spun to face the Alpha. One of its massive arms was already dissolving into black mist on the ground, but the rest of the monster was undeterred, charging the small opening left between Phaedra’s wall and the side of the ravine. The glowing red form of Seraphina’s semblance blocked most of the opening, and the Creepers being blasted to black mist under her paws seemed to have attracted the Alpha’s attention over the blur that had taken its arm.

 

Hoping that he had weakened the Alpha enough for his squad to manage, Reed turned his attention to the massive pair of Ursai lumbering towards him. One of them smashed clear through a tree thicker than Reed’s waist, emerging from the shower of splinters undeterred.

 

The Ursai were still a dozen paces away, so Reed started pelting them with fireballs from Halmvoulge’s tip. They soared through the air, exploding on contact. The Grimm flinched and roared with each hit, but the projectiles barely singed their midnight black flesh. They were much sturdier than the Beowolves and Creepers Reed had killed with the same attack.

 

As they closed on him Reed slid into a dueling stance, checking that his semblance was on. He had discovered during the fight with the Heroes of Humanity that while the spinning disk of Halmvoulge’s full wind activation was excellent for crowd control, it lacked the fine maneuverability necessary to deal with a skilled foe. It would undoubtedly do significant damage to the Ursai, but the risk of taking a powerful hit was too high for Reed to risk it.

 

The Ursai split as they approached him, each swiping one massive forepaw at him from opposite sides. Reed ducked in under the Ursa on his right, the claws of the other barely missing his shoulder. He spun as he came out behind the creature, Halmvoulge lashing out and drawing a line of red along its arm.

 

The Grimm roared, spinning and slashing at him again. Reed caught the blow on the shaft of his weapon, directing it past him and smacking Halmvoulge’s blunt end into the creature’s elbow. Ice burst from the point of impact, encasing the entire arm and dragging the creature off balance.

 

Reed raised his weapon to deliver a finishing blow, but was forced to jump back as the second Ursa leapt at him, bone-white fangs closing inches from Reed’s face. He stabbed Halmvoulge’s spear point into the creature’s shoulder, pushing himself out of danger. He twisted the weapon as he pulled out, leaving the Ursa’s arm limp and useless.

 

The creatures circled him warily now, one with a heavy limp and the other with a club-footed gait. Reed waited patiently for the Grimm to make their move, and when they struck he was ready.

 

The creatures lunged at the same moment, the Ice-burdened Ursa slashing with its unencumbered arm, while the crippled one made another attempt at biting him. Reed jumped, feet stepping off the swinging arm as he launched himself high into the air. He took Halmvoulge in a two-handed grip, aimed, and slammed the ax-head home onto the skull of the crippled Grimm.

 

Halmvoulge stuck fast and the Ursa roared in pain. Reed gritted his teeth, pushing his entire weight onto his weapon and activating the Wind dust. A gale of air burst from behind the ax-head and, after another moment of resistance, the weapon passed clean through the monster’s head.

 

Reed quickly deactivated the Wind, landing in a crouch facing the remaining Ursa. The monster lifted its arm high into the air, slamming it into the ground and shattering the Ice that inhibited its movement. Reed tensed, ready to face a basically uninjured Ursa, when it did something he had never seen a Creature of Grimm do.

 

It fled.

 

Turning on its hind legs, the Ursa ran flat out back up the ravine. Reed stared at it in shock for a moment before giving chase, sprinting after the Grimm.

 

Ursa were powerful Grimm, but they weren’t particularly fast. Despite its head start Reed closed on it quickly, peppering it with fireballs as he ran. The projectiles exploded uselessly on the Grimm’s back, and Reed snarled in irritation. He would have to talk to Phaedra about giving that attack more power.

 

As Reed pursued the creature, he had to admit it had one distinct advantage in the forested ravine. While Reed had to dodge saplings and stumps, the Ursa burst straight through them, leaving a stinging cloud of splinters in its wake.

 

Reed was almost in striking distance, when a screeching wail sounded ahead of him. Directly in front of the lumbering Ursa, he could just make out a _fox_ of all things. The small animal stood trembling in the Ursa’s path, the entrance to a small den just visible between its stiff legs.

 

If the Ursa kept its current path, the poor animal would be flattened, and whatever it was protecting would be smashed to a pulp. Reed put on an extra burst of speed, gripping Halmvoulge near the butt of the staff. With a heave he swung at the Ursa, flipping the green switch just before making contact.

 

Halmvoulge jerked in Reed’s hands as the wind activated, and the weapon cleaved clean through the Ursa’s leg. The Grimm fell with a cry, skidding across the ground and just barely missing the fox.

 

Reed spun with his momentum, completing a full circle before jumping into the air. He reversed his grip on Halmvoulge as he reached the apex of his flight, bringing the spear tip to bear and slamming it _through_ the Ursa’s mask.

 

He panted as the monster dissolved, winded from the flat-out sprint. He looked up in time to see the fox’s tail disappear into the roots of the tree. Wondering what could have caused the little animal to risk certain death facing a Creature of Grimm, Reed walked quietly over and peered into the den.

 

The fox looked out at him, hackles raised warily. Curled behind it were several fox cubs, barely more than balls of fluff. They mewed pitifully, and a smile crept across Reed’s face as he quickly retreated, glad that he had pursued the Ursa rather than let it escape back to the ridge.

 

* * *

 

 

Chase swore explosively on hearing the news, while Abbey held her hands to her mouth under wide eyes.

 

“I can’t believe they would go so far…” Abbey said in horror. “To think they would endanger an entire town.”

 

“They’re Grimm-begotten terrorists,” Chase spat. “They don’t care who suffers, so long as they get whatever they want.”

 

“So what are we going to do now?”

 

Reed glanced at Seraphina and Phaedra, who both nodded to him.

 

“We are going to make sure this expedition succeeds,” Reed said, turning back to Chase and Abbey. “We don’t know enough to interfere, and I trust Tanners’ judgment.”

 

“I bet it’s that bitch, Spines,” Chase growled. “You heard all that crap she was spouting at the morning rest, about ‘shitty humans’ and how we’re all ‘rotten to the core.’ That’s all right out of White Fang recruitment propaganda.”

 

“We don’t have any evidence to support that,” Seraphina said. “Plenty of Faunus feel that way, and the Maiden’s know I can understand why…”

 

Reed laid an arm on her shoulder and addressed the whole group.

 

“For now, we’ll bide our time. Just keep your eyes open for anything that looks suspicious, and for the Hermit’s sake,” he glared at Chase as he continued, “Do _not_ , under any circumstances, act on your own.”

 

His squad nodded their understanding. Chase’s was sullen, but he met Reed’s eyes and he didn’t see any rebellious intent in the stare.

 

“Good. The lunch rest is almost over, let’s get back to the expedition.”


	16. Past and Present

The air became hot and moist as the expedition of Guards headed south-west, moving away from the coast and closer to the center of Vale. Sparse pines replaced bushy oaks, the forest on either side of the road thinning as they moved into rocky terrain.

What had started as a boisterous group grew quiet, the smell of sweat heavy in the air. Laughs changed to grumbles and methodical steps replaced jaunty strides as the Guards began to feel the wear of marching in the heat of the day with rapidly decreasing shade. Captain Argento's Guards looked particularly miserable as the alcohol fueled humor of the morning's march was replaced with dehydration, sore muscles, and pounding heads.

To Reed, the hot, wet air and smell of sweat reminded him of long summer days training at his teacher's school. Compared to the hours of sparring and physical training the march seemed easy, but it was an opinion he decided not to voice when looking at the strained, tired faces of his squad.

"Does anyone have any water left?" Abbey asked, looking down the neck of her dry canteen. "One bottle for a whole day's march seems a little stingy…"

"Here," Reed said, pulling out his canteen and passing it to her. "Don't drink too much, though, or it will come back up."

"Thank you," she said gratefully, unscrewing the cap and taking a careful sip.

Chase grumbled under his breath, "As if the heat and the dust weren't enough, I keep expecting a knife in the back. How are we supposed to find this White Fang traitor anyway?"

Reed swept an uneasy gaze over the surrounding Guards, but they all appeared much more intent on their own misery than Chase's whining.

"You start by keeping your trap shut," Seraphina growled. Chase glared at her back, his mouth open for a hot reply.

"She's right, Chase, though maybe a little harsher than is called for." He glanced at Seraphina, who shrugged in what might have been apology. "Tanners doesn't know either, but it makes sense he wouldn't want it to be public knowledge. There's enough negative feelings coming off of this group without them turning on each other."

"So, what, we're supposed to just keep marching, acting as care-free as the Spring Maiden?"

Chase had a point. He was keeping a tight lid on his emotions, but the thought of a member of the White Fang marching at his side sent a shudder down Reed's spine. Scanning the Guards, his gaze settled on Tamus's squad of Faunus. They looked slightly less miserable than the rest, but not by much.

"Alright," Reed said, coming to a snap decision. "You all maintain formation. I'm going to go talk to Ivory."

As he moved to leave he felt Seraphina grab him by the arm.

"What's your plan here, Reed?" she asked, concern obvious in her voice. "You know how you get anytime the White Fang is mentioned…"

"I'm just going to talk to them," Reed said, patting her arm reassuringly. "We really don't know anything about them. Besides, it's not like they're the only Faunus on the expedition. If possible, I'd like to rule them out."

Seraphina nodded, but her eyes remained trouble. "Just be careful."

Reed made his way to the other side of the expedition, weaving through Guards who barely gave him a second glance. Spines was the first to notice his approach, sneering and pointedly turning her back on him to watch the roadside. Ivory was more welcoming, smiling and waving him over.

"Reed, what a pleasant surprise," she said, her tone warm. "What can we do for you?"

"I felt like we got off on the wrong foot this morning," Reed said, hoping the chagrin in his voice didn't sound too forced. "I have a lot of respect for Corporal Tamus, and was hoping for a chance to get to know his squad a little better."

A small smile touched Ivory's lips. She opened her mouth to reply, but Spines beat her to the punch.

"What the Grimm d'you know about the corporal?" she said hotly, glaring at Reed.

Reed took a moment to consider, feeling the weight of the squad's eyes on him.

"Well," he said slowly, "I haven't put it into words before, so forgive me if it sounds a little awkward. Honestly, I don't know that much about him. I don't know anything about his past, and all I know about his life outside the Guard is he has a family he provides for.

"Still, you can tell a lot about someone by the way they wield and respond to power. My group of recruits was full of some of the most frustrating, lazy, and unqualified individuals I have ever met. Tamus never lost his temper with them, though. Don't get me wrong, he was firm when he needed to be, but he always made time to help those who needed extra guidance. He has a relationship of equals with Sergeant Tanners, but still respects that sometimes the sergeant knows more about a topic and will cede to his experience."

Reed shrugged, feeling somewhat embarrassed. "I guess I don't have anything solid, its just more of a feeling. He seems like the kind of guy who puts others before himself, the kind you can rely on in a crisis. Does that make sense?"

The squad of Faunus regarded Reed as if they had just truly met him. A wide smile had spread over Ivory's face, and even Spines anger had cooled to a kind of grudging respect.

"I've known the man for years and couldn't have said it better myself!" Ivory said, clapping him so hard on the back that he stumbled in his stride.

"Not bad," Spines grumbled. "For a human."

Her brother squawked in agreement, his wings rustling in what appeared to be a pleased manner.

"Well, I call that mission successful!" Ivory said. "Consider us officially on the right foot, if you'll forgive the pun."

Reed felt relief wash over him. He honestly hadn't expected it to go so well. Conversation turned to the topic of family, and Ivory made a point of including Reed. He talked mostly about his mom and her work, not wanting to mention that his father had been killed in a White Fang bombing. He just said that his father had died six months earlier, and after an exchange of sympathetic glances Ivory quickly stepped in.

"I know how hard it is to lose a parent," she said sadly. "My mom died giving birth to me. Dad did the best he could to raise me on his own, working odd jobs for whoever would hire him. He's a little long in the horn these days, if you catch my meaning, but still sharp for all that."

"My parents are back in Vacuo," Camo said, glancing to the east as if he could see the island nation across the vast distance. "They've got decent jobs on a farm, but it's a little crowded there these days. I left to get a job, so as not to be a drain on their resources."

Reed turned to Spines and Skittles. The winged Faunus turned to his sister, who regarded him coolly. "We ain't there yet, human. Suffice to say your kind is why my brother and I don't have any parents or home to speak of."

"Come on, Spines," Ivory said in exasperation. Reed held up a hand to stop her.

"It's okay," he said. "I know how badly the Faunus have had it since the Great War. I understand it will take more than my word that I don't share the same views as the majority of my species."

Spines stared at him for a long moment before giving him a small nod. She turned away, but Reed's gaze remained on her.  _Could_  she be the traitor? She was definitely the most suspicious, Chase wasn't wrong about that. She hated humans, and if they had taken her parents from her Reed could understand why.

Something about it didn't fit, though. She was too vocal about her resentment, too quick to say that humans were what was wrong with the world. Would a member of the White Fang who had infiltrated the Guard really draw so much attention to themselves?

Reed didn't think so.

"I'm surprised Tamus told you about his family, though," Camo said, interrupting Reed's train of thought.

"Sergeant Tanners didn't give him much of a choice," he replied. "Tamus outed him as a member of the prestigious military family, then got tight lipped when Sera asked him why he hadn't gone to one of the academies."

Camo chuckled at that. Reed was surprised at the reaction, and it must have shown on his face.

"Sorry, I'm not saying that Tamus doesn't have the skill to be a Huntsman," Camo said quickly. "It's just that I don't know if he would have been welcome at Beacon. I mean, considering his father was one of the founding members of the new order of the White Fang."

The words, so unexpected and said so casually, hammered into Reed. He faltered in his march, and he felt his friendly mask crack.

Camo looked at him, and the grin slid from his face. "Oh Grimm, you didn't know, did you?"

Everyone was staring at Reed now, faces ranging from Ivory's sad expression to Spines open hostility. He quickly schooled his thoughts, mind racing.

"Sorry, I just had no idea. Tamus always seems so happy, I never would have thought…"

"His father disappeared a long time ago," Ivory assured him, "Leaving the corporal to care for his mother and little sister. Still, that kind of legacy doesn't look good on an application to a school dedicated to keeping the peace…"

The conversation grew awkward and strained. After several unsuccessful attempts to restart it, Reed excused himself, trying to look unhurried and natural as he made his way back to his squad.

* * *

"You really  _don_ _'t_  think Tamus is the traitor?" Chase said in agitated disbelief.

Reed's squad sat in a circle around their campfire, a simmering pot of stew suspended over the flames. The expedition had camped on a low hill, rocky terrain to their west, sparse forest to their east, and mountains looming to their north. The blistering heat of the day had quickly given way to a frigid night, and sore muscles cramped in the sudden cold.

Phaedra, Delphin and Reed all had experience with long hours of physical exertion, but the others were agitated in their exhaustion. They'd been discussing the revelation of Tamus's heritage for the better part of an hour, and Chase was the only one still arguing in favor of him being the traitor.

"First of all," Seraphina said, palm to her forehead in frustration, "Tanners chased the Faunus across the city without catching him. Tamus is strong, and a skilled fighter, but he's  _not_  fast. Also, Tanners had plenty of time to study the traitor. Tamus is  _massive_ , there's no way Tanners wouldn't have recognized that physique."

"Plus Tamus would make Remnant's worst spy," Phaedra noted, glancing up from Halmvoulge. The weapon was braced against one leg, the head held at eye level. When Reed had reported that the fireballs were lacking in power she had swiped the weapon from him, and had spent the time since setting up camp tinkering with a variety of tools she had produced from her pack.

She continued, "He's huge, loud, and draws a lot of attention. He also has no ability to hide his facial expressions. He is way too easy to toy with."

"To be fair, most people have a hard time dealing with you," Reed said with a tired grin. "Still, she makes a good point. You should have seen him after Sera and I were injured during the Road Patrol. He looked like his world had crashed down around him. The thought that we had been hurt because of his mistakes almost had him in tears. I just don't think he's the kind of guy who could orchestrate something that would endanger so many lives."

"I still think he's suspicious," Chase muttered resentfully.

"Oh shut it, Chase."

Everyone glanced in surprise at Abbey, who clapped a hand to her mouth in horror. "Oh Maidens Chase, I'm sorry," she said, tears springing to her eyes. "I'm just so tired, and we've been talking in circles for over an hour."

"Don't worry about it, Abbey," Chase said, patting her awkwardly on the shoulder. "I'll let it drop."

They returned to their stew, tired arms spooning it into their mouths mechanically.

Reed had initially been shocked by the revelation of Tamus's heritage, and it had definitely left a stain on the Faunus squad's view of him. After consideration, though, it just didn't make sense for him to be the traitor.

Which meant they were back to square one.

They had no idea who the traitor was, and no idea how to find out. The tension that a member of the White Fang was hiding among them had taken its toll on them all. Reed constantly felt like he was being watched, and from the way his squad constantly checked over their shoulders they were feeling the same way.

Reed considered talking to Tanners. It seemed the best course of action at this point, but he grimaced at the idea of explaining to the sergeant that he had been eavesdropping on his conversation with Huntress Kadir.

"Well you're a solemn lot, aren't you?"

Reed looked up, and felt a wave of guilt as he saw Tamus himself walking towards them. He saw Chase tense, but the rest of the group did their best to salute the corporal as he approached. He saluted back, then turned to Reed.

"Reed, the sergeant wants a word with you."

His stomach clenched in apprehension, but he nodded and stood. Seraphina made to rise as well, but was forestalled by Tamus's raised hand.

"Just Reed. He'll be back shortly, I imagine, so you all just wait here."

Seraphina glanced at Reed, concern evident on her face. They may have decided that Tamus was an unlikely spy, but the thought of him dragging Reed off alone clearly didn't sit well with her.

"I'll go see what the sergeant wants," he said, forcing his voice to sound casual. "You all get some rest. It was a long day, and tomorrow will probably be even worse."

His squad nodded their accent, but none of them looked happy as Reed followed Tamus away from the fire. To his surprise the corporal didn't lead him in the direction of the officer's tents. Rather, he started east, towards the perimeter that bordered the forest.

They halted at the edge of the forest, and Tamus gestured towards the mountains to the north. "You see that pass over there, the one between the two lower peaks? Through those trees is a ridge that overlooks a ravine on the other side. Sergeant Tanners said to meet him there."

"Understood," Reed said, saluting and beginning to walk away. The hairs on his neck rose as he turned his back on Tamus, and he almost jumped out of his skin when the corporal called after him.

"Private."

He turned and looked at Tamus. The man's face was troubled, his arms crossed as he stared at Reed.

"Some stories aren't for others to tell," he said, his voice grave. "I don't know what this digging into my past is about, but I'd appreciate it if it stopped here. I'm sure you know how hard it is for these types of memories to be dug up. It may have happened a long time ago, but that doesn't make it any more fun."

Reed lowered his gaze and nodded. "Of course, Sir. I'm sorry."

Tamus nodded in acknowledgment of the apology, turning and striding back towards the camp.

* * *

Reed wove through the stunted trees, wondering why Sergeant Tanners wanted to meet him so far from the expedition. He'd passed the last perimeter patrol half a mile back, at this distance the expedition camp was merely a soft glow to the south.

The trees suddenly ended, and Reed was surprised to see that the ridge was scattered with crumbling stone structures. Walls towered fifteen feet in some areas, only to have collapsed fully to the ground in others. Corners were the only indication of what might have been houses, and at the far western point a round structure ten feet tall was all that was left of what had most likely been a tower.

The ruins were old, Reed's history classes hadn't even mentioned a settlement in this region.

As he stepped carefully over weather rounded bricks he heard a voice call his name. At the edge of the ridge one building had survived better than most. It was two stories tall, and though the roof had caved in long ago the walls stood strong and unyielding in the face of time.

Peering into the doorway, Reed saw Sergeant Tanners sitting against the opposite wall. His elegant gun-spear was laid across his lap, a cleaning kit open on the ground next to him as he polished the swirling blade.

"Take a seat, Reed," Tanners said without looking up from his work. "I'm almost done with this."

Reed sat across from Tanners, legs folded underneath him, as he watched the sergeant's methodical work. His hands moved in gentle circles, almost appearing to caress the metal head as he oiled it to a shine. The blade was straight and flawless, any nicks accumulated over the past day already corrected by the whetstone nestled in the cleaning kit.

Tanners held the spear up to his face, nodding with approval before carefully replacing the cloth and oil, then closing the kit with a click. Finally he looked up at Reed, and for the first time he noticed heavy, dark bags under the sergeant's eyes.

"Thank you for coming all the way out here, Reed," he said, a tired smile touching his eyes. "I know it's an unusual locale, I just needed to get out of the hustle of the camp for a few minutes."

"Of course, Sir," Reed said, trying to hide his confusion and, if he was honest with himself, apprehension. What could Tanners want to discuss? He wasn't fooled, the sergeant may have wanted to get some peace and quiet, but there was a reason he had asked Reed to meet him  _here_ , rather than after he had returned to camp.

A low chuckle escaped Tanners's lips. "Guess that excuse didn't fool you, huh? Alright, I will get right into it. How did you find out about the White Fang traitor?"

A chill went down Reed's spine. "Sir?" he said, trying to sound casual. "I don't-"

Tanners's grip tightened on the shaft of his spear, the movement causing Reed to trip over his words. The sergeant's eyes were calm, but there was an edge to them.

"Don't play the fool, Reed. You're clever, but you're also a terrible actor. Let's review: since early in the expedition there has been a tension in your squad. The lot of you talk in hushed tones, with way too much suspicious glances cast at your fellow Guards. Then you break away from them to talk to the only squad on the expedition composed entirely of Faunus. You start digging into their pasts, and even get them to reveal the identity of Tamus's father."

Tanners leaned forward, his piercing gaze freezing Reed. "Your history puts you at direct odds with the White Fang. In fact, it is almost  _too_  at odds with the White Fang. You should be the least suspicious person in the Guard, but you are operating with information you shouldn't have. Less than a handful of the Guards know what you know, so I need you to tell me how you found out. And don't mince your words,  _Private_. I have almost as little patience for liars as I have for traitors."

Reed gaped at Tanners, stunned at the implications behind his words. "Sir," he said in a strangled voice, "You suspect  _me?_ _"_

Tanners said nothing, body settling into that relaxed posture that was  _too_  relaxed,  _too_  at ease to not be a farce. Reed had to force himself to not snatch up Halmvoulge and prepare to be attacked.

Forcing himself to take a deep breath, Reed shifted into a cross-legged position. It was an unready position, legs trapped by his own weight. His instincts screamed that he had just signed his own death warrant, but Tanners's posture noticeably settled following the motion.

"I heard you tell Huntress Kadir, Sir," Reed said. His heart pounded in his ears, but he was proud that his voice came out calm and controlled. "During the morning break."

"Why were you out there?" Tanners's voice was a whip-crack, harsh and uncompromising. "Were you following me? Or Huntress Kiwidinek?"

"It's kind of embarrassing, Sir, but I was trying to find a quiet place to… relieve myself."

Reed felt blood rush to his cheeks, but he held Tanners's stare. The sergeant held his gaze for a moment before a strangled sound escaped his mouth. His head lifted to the ceiling, and a rumbling  _guffaw_  burst from him.

Reed stared at him in shock as the laughter died into a breathless chuckle. "Oh Maidens," Tanners said, wiping tears from his eyes. "Of all the ways you could have found out,  _that_ _'s_  what happened?"

"You don't believe me?" Reed said, bristling as his cheeks grew even redder.

"Oh no, I definitely believe you," Tanners said breathlessly, holding his sides as he suppressed another wave of laughter. "Hermit, your face is redder than a Grimm's eyes!"

Reed stared in bafflement at the sergeant. One moment he had been a man with murder in his eyes, the next he was crying from laughing so hard, and Reed noticed for the first time that Tanners barely looked older than Reed himself.

"You have no idea how relieved I am," Tanners said, straightening his face, though the laughter still danced at the corners of his eyes. "I've been leaning on your squad more than you know, placing you in key defensive positions and giving you some of the most difficult patrols. When Tamus told me you appeared to be rooting around for the White Fang traitor I was worried it was an elaborate ruse to take suspicion off yourself."

"That would be kinda… dumb, don't you think?"

"Hardly. Putting suspicion on others is a classic strategy of subterfuge. Plus, with an almost entirely human squad you'd make a good plant."

"So that's why you asked me to meet you all the way out here," Reed said, trying not to feel hurt by Tanners's suspicion. "That way, if I was the traitor, you could take me out without any interference."

"In part," Tanners admitted, "But in the event that you weren't, which I desperately hoped was the case, there is something I want you to see."

Tanners stood and motioned for Reed to follow him. There was a staircase against one wall, leading to the second floor. The stones underneath the steps reached all the way to the floor, otherwise it never would have survived the years of disrepair.

Cresting the top step, Reed saw that the building was not as in tact as it had looked from the entrance. Three walls of the top floor still stood, but the one facing the north had crumbled over the cliff. It afforded an excellent view of the ravine that ran between the two mountain ridges.

Reed stared down into the ravine in horror. The bottom was completely obscured in a writhing mass of glowing red and deepest black. Grimm in numbers that Reed could never have imagined paced the rocks below, clung to the rock faces, and even perched atop the mountains opposite.

They covered every visible surface for a mile in either direction.

"We have to fight  _this_?" Reed said, his voice a mixture of awe and horror.

"Maybe," Tanners said, and Reed cast him a questioning glance.

"There's something off here, Reed," he continued. "Can you tell me what it is?"

Reed stared at the horrifying collection of monsters. The thought of so many Grimm a mere handful of miles from the expedition sparked his instinct to flee, but he squashed it ruthlessly and forced himself to think logically. Tanners was right, something about their actions were wrong. None of the monsters were still, but they paced up and down the ravine, hardly appearing to take note of the expedition…

"Why aren't they drawn to the Guard camp?" Reed asked, the thought igniting in his brain, connecting all the inconsistencies.

"Exactly," Tanners said in an approving voice. "The Guards are exhausted. They're picking fights with each other, arguing over the most trivial manners, and Argento's Guards are somehow simultaneously hungover  _and_  drunk. That should be more than enough to attract the Grimm."

"It doesn't make sense," Reed muttered, barely hearing Tanners. "It almost looks like they're waiting…"

"This is what I wanted you to see," Tanners said, turning away from the Grimm and staring at Reed as he leaned against the wall. "The Grimm have always been a problem for the people of Remnant, but they've been  _consistent_. They act as mindless animals, intent on killing and destruction, drawn by the negative emotions of humans and Faunus alike.

"Recently, though, their behavior has become unpredictable. They congregate outside settlements but they don't attack, apart from the occasional pack of lesser Grimm. Massive variants previously unseen have been spotted all over, but very few have needed to be engaged. Support towers used to go down left and right, but the one that is the goal of our expedition is the first to fall in almost a year."

"Have you ever seen anything like this?" Reed said in awe.

"Yes."

The simple statement took a moment to permeate Reed's troubled thoughts. When it finally took hold her jerked to face Tanners, the sergeant's gaze serious.

"The Grimm are acting like those I fought on Mimar."

Reed sucked in a startled breath. The lost continent. Countless attempts had been made to settle the unclaimed land to the north-west. Each had been annihilated by the Creatures of Grimm. No person had made it more than a handful of miles inland before being ripped to pieces.

Or so he had thought.

"You…" Reed swallowed before continuing, "You've been to Mimar?"

Tanners nodded. "I wasn't actually part of the Forever Fall squad like Tamus told you. That's the biggest congregation of soldiers in Vale, so that's where I tell people I was stationed. If anyone actually bothered to look at the deployment records they would find my name there, but no one in that region would be able to tell you who I am."

"So what were you doing on Mimar?" Reed asked, fascinated that someone he knew had visited the lost continent and lived to tell about it. "What was it like there? Is it untamed wilderness like they say?"

"Only on the southern part of the continent," Tanners said, eyes distant. "Most of the continent is rocky terrain almost impossible to navigate. The mountains that surround the northern region are impossibly high, to the point that Dust powered ships can't fly over them. It took my squad weeks to find a way through the wilderness, and even longer to locate a pass low enough for us to get through. Once we did…"

Tanners trailed off, and the look in his eyes made Reed's heart pound in his chest. Dreading the answer, he asked, "What did you find?"

"Black pools, as far as the eye could see," Tanners voice was haunted. "Grimm crawled from the pools in numbers that make that horde look like a fledgling pack. It was enough to send the strongest Huntsman or Huntress running with their tail between their legs, physical or metaphorical. That wasn't the worst part though."

A shudder ran through Tanners, spurring Reed's intestines to wind themselves into knots. Tanners had always been a rock to Reed, but this night was tearing down every preconceived notion he had ever had about the man. Tanners was human, just like him. In fact, Tanners was only a  _one year_  older than Reed. The thought terrified him more than the the horde looming just below them.

"There was a castle," The sergeant's voice caught, and it took a visible effort for him to continue. "A Grimm-begotten  _castle_ , surrounded by pools of birthing Grimm. They have a master, Reed. The Grimm are just tools, for whatever Dark-spawned  _thing_  lives in that castle."

"And now that Master has plans for Vale," Reed murmured in horror.

Tanners nodded. "Not just for Vale, but for all of Remnant. Despite years of peace, tensions between nations are at an all-time high. Ozpin thinks-"

"Ozpin?" Reed said, momentarily distracted by the name. "As in  _Professor_  Ozpin? Headmaster of Beacon academy?!"

Tanners waved a dismissive hand. "Yeah, he's been a close friend of the family for decades. Anyway, he thinks there's trouble brewing on a scale we haven't seen since the Great War. He's doing everything in his power to counteract it, but the fact is he doesn't know  _what_  is going to happen, much less how to stop it. Between the White Fang, bandits, political tensions, and the unusual Grimm activity, there's too many things that could go horribly wrong.

"To be honest, that whole 'Tanners family tradition' thing? My excuse for being stationed in the Town Guard? That hasn't been in practice for generations, but it was a convenient excuse. The real reason I am stationed in Adigiar is because it is biggest settlement in Vale outside of Beacon. I am here to keep an eye on the town, and to gather any worthwhile individuals who weren't picked up by one of the academies. There's a war brewing, and we need every capable hand we can get."

Reed braced himself on a crumbling wall, trying to process the information that had just been dumped on him. It was on a grandiose scale that he hadn't imagined he would ever be involved in, at least not until he had graduated from one of the academies. It was too much for the moment, so he back-tracked until he was on ground that he could stand on comfortably.

"Well," Reed said slowly, "That's all terrifying and all that, but its a bit beyond our current situation, isn't it?"

Tanners smiled at him, a genuine smile filled with warmth. "You're absolutely right, saving the world can wait. First we have to save ourselves."


	17. The Few Versus The Many

“There’s a large group of lesser Grimm approaching from the south-west,” Huntress Kadir said, placing her finger on a map in front of them.

 

Sergeant Tanners’s tent was full as everyone crowded around the map placed on a small travel table. Reed and Seraphina stood at one end, while Phaedra somehow managed to lounge against the canvas wall behind them. Tamus and Ivory stood opposite them, their large bodies taking up an entire side of the tent. Tanners and Huntress Kadir leaned across from each other, each studying the map with a critical eye. 

 

“How’d they get so close without you spotting them, Kiwi?” Phaedra asked. She was the only one in the group who dared use the nickname. Everyone else referred to the near-mythic woman as “Huntress Kadir,” despite her protests.

 

“I’ve been focusing my attention on the horde in the mountains to the north,” Huntress Kadir said, chagrin obvious in her voice. “The rolling hills to the south hid them from view until I did a circuit of the camp at dawn.”

 

“What exactly do you mean by ‘lesser’ Grimm?” Seraphina asked. “Just Creepers and Beowolves?”

 

“Plus a couple of Ursai,” Huntress Kadir added with a shrug, “They look pretty young, though.”

 

“So what’s the plan?” Tamus asked. “Are we going to try to out march them? Set up defensive positions on the road and take them head on?”

 

“Neither,” Tanners answered. “You see this path here?” The sergeant placed a finger on a small hiking trail that split off from the main road. It went south for a ways, before looping back to the road a dozen miles from where it started. “We’re going to break off from the expedition and take care of them ourselves.”

 

“Who exactly do you mean by ‘we’?” Phaedra asked, her tone neutral but with a hint of annoyance.

 

Tanners responded curtly. “Tamus’s squad, Reed’s squad, and yourself. I will personally lead the attack.”

 

“You do realize I’m not a Guard, right?” she asked, her tone sour. “I’ve done more fighting than forging on this expedition already.”

 

“Get over yourself,” Tanners said, his voice hard and uncompromising. “You are a member of this expedition and more skilled at fighting than most of the Guard, you will go where you are needed.”

 

Phaedra scowled at that, but didn’t offer further complaint.

 

“Is it really safe to take so many capable Guards away from the expedition?” Tamus asked, concerned. “Without us, defense will fall largely on Gerstein’s people. They may be strong, but they aren’t exactly the best when it comes to cooperative efforts.”

 

“They will do,” Huntress Kadir said, waving a hand dismissively. “I will remain here to watch over the main force and coordinate any defense, should it prove necessary.”

 

A murmur of assent went through the group. With the famed Huntress watching over the expedition there was little chance of anything bad happening.

 

Tanners cleared his throat. “Alright everyone. Pack your kits light, two rations and necessary supplies only. We will be marching double time, any unnecessary luggage will be packed aboard the supply truck. Dawn is already an hour gone, I want us on the road in fifteen minutes.”

 

* * *

 

 

“Reed, can you come to the front? There’s something I’d like to discuss with you.”

 

Reed looked up from where he walked at the center of their line. The hiking trail was narrow, forcing them to march in single file. Thorny brush lined the path, snagging their clothes and scratching exposed skin. Tanners stood at the front of the line, looking at him expectantly over one shoulder.

 

He squeezed past Chase and Abbey, who marched ahead of him, a small army of burs latching onto the canvas of his pants. Reed bent to brush them away before straightening and nodding to the sergeant.

 

Tanners turned and continued hiking down the rocky trail. He was silent for a few moments, his usual straight-backed posture and perfect marching rhythm giving Reed no indication of what he wanted to discuss.

 

“How far out are we?” Reed asked, when the silence started to grate on his nerves.

 

“Hmm?” The sound was distracted, as if his question had interrupted the sergeant’s train of thought. “Oh, we should reach the pack within the hour. Anyway, I wanted to discuss your tactics when fighting the Creatures of Grimm.”

 

“Is there something wrong with how I’ve been positioning my squad?”

 

“What? No, I didn’t call you up here to talk about your squad. They are performing admirably, all things considered. I want to discuss the way you personally engage the Grimm.”

 

The clarification surprised Reed. He thought he was doing rather well in his bouts against the monsters. He hadn’t been injured by a Grimm in weeks, and they hadn’t so much as bounced off his aura the entire expedition.

 

“I’ve killed dozens of Grimm,” Reed protested. “Everything from Creepers to Ursai.”

 

“You spend too long engaging individual Grimm,” Tanners continued, as if he hadn’t spoken. “You think too much like a duelist, wearing your enemy down before going in for the finishing blow. Against the bigger ones that can’t be helped, but a fighter of your caliber should be able to kill anything less than an Ursa in a single blow.”

 

Indignation flushed through Reed, and the next words were out of his mouth before he could stop them. “How would you know? The only time you’ve seen me fight Grimm was during the Road Patrol, and I didn’t have Halmvoulge then.”

 

“Halmvoulge? Oh, your halberd. Good name. Anyway, I have my sources. I know about your little trips into the forest around Adigiar, and I’ve got it on good authority that it takes you an average of two strikes to deal with a Creeper and three for a Beowolf.”

 

Reed bit back a retort, mostly because the sergeant was right. Under the right conditions he had killed a handful of Creepers with one strike, if their backs were turned or they left themselves open. He had never managed to do the same with a Beowolf, though.

 

“Why bring this up now? It hasn’t been a problem in the past.”

 

“Then we were only fighting small groups,” Tanners said, finally looking over his shoulder to meet Reed’s gaze. His eyes still looked distant, but they were focused enough on Reed to make him feel guilty for his petulance.

 

“Now, though, we are up against a small horde. There are somewhere close to a hundred Grimm where we are headed, you won’t have time to fight each individually.”

 

Reed sucked in a sharp breath. Compared to the horde north of the mountains a hundred Grimm was a pittance, but for only a dozen Guards it seemed an inordinately high number.

 

“If there’s that many shouldn’t we have brought more Guards?” he asked, worried.

 

Tanners just shrugged. “It shouldn’t be a problem. Besides, this group needs some team building. I know you were just trying to help, but Tamus’s squad was rather put out by your interrogation. Also, you have some problems in your own squad that haven’t been addressed.”

 

“Really?” Reed said, surprised. “Like what?”

 

“All in good time. For now, let’s talk strategy. You’re faced with three Creepers and a Beowolf, what do you do?”

 

“Well,” Reed said, forcing his mind away from what could possibly be going wrong with the members of his squad. “I guess my first goal would be to deal with the Creepers so I could focus on the Beowolf. I would encase them in ice or cut off their forelimbs to hamper their movement.”

 

Tanners _tsk_ ed, shaking his head. “Personally I would go for the Beowolf first, but whether you start with the Creepers or the Beowolf is a matter of personal preference. Where you went wrong was wasting time incapacitating the Creepers. Rather than smack them with the end of your staff you should just strike them down and be done with it.

 

“The blade of your halberd is more than capable of cleaving straight through a Creeper’s skull. It has the range to do so without them getting close enough to claw you, and they will dissipate well before any leftover momentum would reach you. Now, how would you face the Beowolf?”

 

Reed gritted his teeth. Not because he disagreed with the sergeant, but because he was obviously right. Reed had trained in wearing down an opponent, striking arms and legs until form failed and a weakness presented itself. Despite the days he had spent training in the forest, those instincts ran deep.

 

“Well, normally I would try and cut an arm off to expose the waist,” Reed said, then rushed on before Tanners could correct him. “But I suppose I could go for the waist from the beginning, using the range of my staff to get around the arms. Or just go for the head, either with an overhand attack or by decapitation.”

 

A small smile tugged at the corners of Tanners’s mouth. “That’s better. Going for the weakness from the beginning is a stronger strategy than wearing it down to further expose it. Precision and quick thinking have saved more Huntsmen than battles of strength and endurance.”

 

“I think Captain Gerstein would disagree,” Reed said, smiling at the chuckle the comment elicited.

 

“I bet he would. Still, I’d be happy if you tried things my way.”

 

“Yes sir.”

 

“Good. Now, get back to your squad,” he hummed thoughtfully, then added, “and send Phaedra up here. I need to have a chat with her as well.”

 

* * *

 

 

“Here comes the first wave, everybody get ready!”

 

Tanners call rang across the hills. They’d found a flat space clear of brush directly between the approaching Grimm and the expedition. As they watched, the first of the monsters crested the hill in front of them. They were composed of mostly Creepers with the occasional juvenile Beowolf mixed in, the faster Creepers outstripping their companions.

 

The two squads fell into ready stances. Tanners stood in the middle, with Reed on his left and Tamus on his right. Seraphina and Ivory stood next to them, the five of them making up the front line of their formation. Abbey, Delphin, Phaedra, Spines and Skittles stood behind them, ready to catch any Grimm that broke through or circled around their formation, while Chase and Camo made up the rear, rifles already firing on the approaching Grimm.

 

“Don’t forget, Reed,” Tanners said, “One strike, one kill.”

 

The Grimm clashed with the Guards, Creepers coiling their tails and launching themselves through the air. Reed’s instincts screamed at him to knock them down with the butt of his staff, leaving them frozen and immobile on the ground. Gritting his teeth, he pushed past the urge, meeting the first Creeper’s charge by slamming Halmvoulge’s blade into its mask.

 

The monster’s momentum did most of the work for him, and Halmvoulge passed clean through its skull. The moment of terror as the monster’s body approached was replaced with exhilaration as it exploded into black mist. Reed reversed his grip, slashing backhanded at the next Creeper and slamming Halmvoulge’s spur into the side of the creature’s head. Before it even dissipated he had already pushed forward and stabbed Halmvoulge’s tip into the next monster’s chest.

 

Creepers exploded into nothing one after the other, none getting close enough to even touch Reed’s aura. Across the line the monsters fell like wheat to the scythe, ripped to pieces by spears, slashed through with metal claws, or battered into oblivion by Tamus’s club.

 

“They’re faltering, everyone advance!”

 

At Tanners’s order the line began to walk forward. Reed fell into a simple figure-eight spinning pattern, each rotation accompanied by a step towards the Grimm. His instincts warned him to wait for the monsters to come to him, but with each explosion of black mist the smile that had crept onto his face grew wider. A dozen Creepers had fallen to Halmvoulge in a matter of seconds, each moment of resistance followed by a sudden release as the weapon cleaved the monsters into pieces.

 

Reed had to admit it was _damned_ satisfying.

 

The end of the first wave was in sight. Only a handful of Beowolves remained, the slower Grimm bringing up the rear of the charge.

 

The first charged Tanners’s position at the middle of the line. The sergeant dealt with it almost contemptuously, his spear lashing out, catching the monster’s claws on its shaft and pushing the attack to the side even as the spear slipped forward and separated its head from its body.

 

The remaining Beowolves split, recognizing the danger of attacking Tanners. A pair of them charged Reed and Seraphina, howling as they extended clawed arms to either side. After sharing a glance with Seraphina, they both rushed forward to meet the charge.

 

The monster on the right swiped at Reed’s head. Rather than catch the blow, Reed ducked underneath it. He felt exposed so close to the Grimm, but its thin waist was completely unprotected. Setting his feet, Reed brought Halmvoulge around to slam into the monster’s gut. The blade passed clean through, and the Beowolf’s howl was cut off as it burst into mist.

 

Seraphina’s Beowolf followed shortly behind, one clawed hand stopping its attack as the other slammed through the monster’s chin. Glancing to the other side, Reed saw Tamus smash one Beowolf’s head into nothing while Ivory finished the last with a well placed shot into its gaping maw.

 

They came to a halt in the center of the clear ground, exchanging grins. No sign remained of the several dozen Grimm that had met their end, other than the light sheen of sweat on their foreheads.

 

“You picked that up quickly,” Tanners said, clapping Reed on the back with a grin. “How did it feel?”

 

“Terrifying,” Reed said, though the wide grin on his face refused to recede. “The hairs on the back of my neck were screaming at me that I had left enemies behind me.”

 

“Ha!” Seraphina exclaimed. “The only thing behind you was a bit of Grimm mist and some gawking squad mates!”

 

Turning, Reed realized she was right. Abbey and Chase were openly staring, jaws hanging open. Tamus’s squad was conferring with him, but they glanced in Reed’s direction with grudging respect. Even Phaedra looked mildly impressed.

 

“No time for chit-chat,” Tanners said. “Here comes the next wave, and there are some big Creepers with those Beowolves. Everybody back in formation!”

 

The Beowolves proved more challenging than the Creepers in such large numbers. The first two fell to a single strike a piece, but the third slipped through Reed’s guard, its claws deflecting painfully off the aura around his shoulder. With an irritated grunt Reed activated the wind crystals behind Halmvoulge’s blade, shearing the monster from hip to shoulder.

 

Using the full wind activation was dangerous while fighting in a line, so Reed advanced on the crowd of Beowolves. As the monsters surrounded him on three sides he was forced to activated his semblance, the spinning disk of Halmvoulge cleaving straight through limbs into bodies and heads as he swayed and stepped around attacks aimed at his back. Reckless in his new found competence, Reed pushed forward far beyond his companions.

 

“Reed, you idiot! You’ve opened up a hole in our line!”

 

Glancing back at Seraphina voice, he realized she was right. Abbey and Delphin had been forced forward to fill his spot in the line, their desperate stabs and shots barely holding a trio of Beowolves.

 

Reed spun Halmvoulge in a wide circle, forcing the Beowolves surrounding him to step back. Canceling the Wind Dust, he planted Halmvoulge’s tip into the ground and launched himself over the ring of Grimm. He lashed out with a horizontal slash as he landed, reactivating the Wind and giving his weapon the power to pass through all three of the Grimm pressuring Abbey and Delphin.

 

“Duck!”

 

The shout came from his right, Seraphina’s voice triggering an instantaneous reaction. He fell to one knee just as her clawed hand passed over him, burying itself deep into the mask of a full grown Creeper. She ripped through the bottom of the creature’s skull, tearing off its jaw before the whole thing burst into nothing.

 

“Don’t get cocky, Reed,” Tanners said, destroying a Beowolf that tried to take the Creeper’s place. “Quick kills are only good if they don’t come at the cost of your team’s safety. If you need more room, just tell us.”

 

“Understood,” Reed said, confidence rightfully shaken by the slip. “Sera, if you could fan out to the side a bit I would appreciate it.”

 

The Beowolves pushed harder than the previous wave of Creepers, and they were forced to hold the line rather than advance through them. There were so many that the Grimm line was longer than their own, and the second line of defense was forced to spread to the side to prevent them from being surrounded. Phaedra threw up stone walls on either side to keep them from being spread too thin, and Chase and Camo took advantage of the high ground to get above the monsters and thin their ranks with volleys of well placed bullets.

 

Reed kept to the line, though each downed Grimm tempted him to advance into their midst. Instead he used any free space he had to shoot those that tried to pressure Abbey and Delphin. The new-and-improved fireballs that Phaedra had altered resembled brightly shining bullets, punching straight through masks and black flesh rather than exploding on contact.

 

When the pressure on his less skilled squad-mates lessened, Reed took the opportunity to observe Tanners. If Reed was a river, slipping through to find the enemy’s weakness, the sergeant was the ocean. His sweeping strikes battered away attacks and killed Grimm all at the same time, his ornate gun-spear smashing into them relentlessly. Bullets fired from the tip mid-swing, slipping between the Beowolves that made up the front line and wreaking havoc on their supporting ranks. No crack was too small, and waves Grimm fell to him in moments.

 

Turning back, Reed’s heart leapt into his mouth as an Ursa burst through the Beowolves and charged Abbey. Seraphina had her hands full with a pair of fully grown Creepers, and a trio of Beowolves rushed him before he could fire on the Ursa.

 

“Abbey, watch out!”

 

Abbey pulled her gun-spear from a Beowolf’s chest, her face growing pale at the sight of the enormous Grimm barreling towards her. She extended her spear in a shaky guard, only for it to be smacked to the side by the monster’s fore-paw.

 

Reed swore, ducking a Beowolf’s claws as he tried to get an angle on the Ursa. To his shock, _Delphin_ came to the rescue.

 

The almost lethargic stabbings of the simple man changed in an instant. His spear suddenly spun in a complex circuit, slipping past a Beowolf’s claws and cutting its head in half at the jaw line. He spun with the movement, spear tucking in tight, then lashing out with three quick stabs. They were so fast that they appeared to blur through the Grimm, leaving gaping red holes in gut, chest, and neck.

 

Reed and Seraphina finished off the Grimm in front of them, the last of the wave, then everyone paused to stare at Delphin. Reed felt guilt wash over him as he realized he had barely considered the older man over the past several days. Delphin had taken his order to guard the rear to heart, his constant position at the back of their group and his silence causing him to fade into the background of Reed’s mind.

 

“Good work, Delphin!” Tamus roared, wrapping his arm around the man’s shoulder. “You’ve been holding out on us!”

 

Delphin stared blankly ahead, barely seeming to register Tamus’s huge arm pushing down on him.

 

“Yes, good work indeed,” Tanners said, but the words were muted. He was staring at Delphin with eyes narrowed, as if reassessing the scarred veteran. Delphin, for his part, stood at parade rest, single brown eye staring at nothing.

 

“Here comes the rest of them!” Camo’s shout echoed down from his position atop the stone wall. “They look like their giving up on a frontal assault. There’s a pack of Creepers and Beowolves circling to the east and… Hermit that’s a _King Taijitu_ to the west, along with a pair of fully grown Ursa!”

 

Tanners turned away from Delphin, gripping his gun-spear tightly. “Tamus, Ivory, you’re with me! Let’s go get that King Taijitu. Reed, you go take care of the east.”

 

“Understood! Sera, let’s go!”

 

“No,” Tanners voice brought the two of them up short. “Seraphina, you come with us. Reed, take Phaedra with you. Everyone else, stay here and hold the center in case more show up!”

 

* * *

 

 

Reed stopped, panting slightly as he turned slowly, making sure none of the Grimm had escaped.

 

It had only taken them a couple minutes to catch up to the Grimm. They’d had a head start, but the tangled brush had hampered them significantly. He and Phaedra had followed the Grimm’s path, using the walls her hammer summoned to hem them in and taking advantage of the trampled foliage to rush them from behind.

 

“That should do it,” he said, retracting Halmvoulge’s blade and letting the staff fall into a resting position. “Let’s get back to the others.”

 

“I’m not a part of your little squad,” Phaedra snapped. “You don’t get to order me around like a little girl not into her Maiden panties yet.”

 

Reed, already making his way back down the path, turned to her in surprise. Phaedra always had a sharp tongue, but the words had more bite to them than usual.

 

“Is everything alright?” he asked, walking back to where she stood at the edge of the flattened circle of bushes that had been their battleground.

 

“Oh yeah, just peachy,” she said with a huff. “I’ve been marching in this damned humidity, I’ve got a line of sweat tracing from my neck to my Maiden parts, and I haven’t touched a forge in more than two days. Life is a fucking picnic.”

 

Reed wanted to say that she should have known what the expedition would entail, but he held his tongue. Something about her words were off. They were genuine complaints, sure, but they were said with the air of someone trying to divert attention from the real problem.

 

“I know what you mean,” Reed said instead, sighing when he realized it was true. “Honestly, what I want more than anything right now is a hot bath and a soft bed. Don’t worry. After tomorrow, for better or worse, this will all be over.”

 

“Tomorrow…” Phaedra said, and her shoulders slumped. The pose was so vulnerable that Reed had a hard time believing that Phaedra’s body was capable of such a motion.

 

“Be straight with me, Reed. What do you think are our odds of surviving tomorrow?”

 

“I don’t know…” he responded, still having trouble reconciling that he was having this conversation with Phaedra of all people. “Based on today we’ve got the lesser Grimm pretty much in hand, it’s the Nevermores and Deathstalkers that have me worried…”

 

“Shit,” Phaedra swore, and the expletive was so natural on her lips that Reed had to hide a smile. “Guess this can’t wait. I’d rather not have the conversation at all, but if something happened to any of us tomorrow I would regret not doing it.”

 

“What conversation?” Reed was thoroughly lost at this point. It wasn’t like Phaedra to worry about things like death and success. Sure, she’d gotten scared that one time a Beowolf had nearly gotten the jump on her, but that had been in the moment.

 

“You… That is to say I…” Phaedra stumbled through the words, refusing to meet Reed’s gaze. She turned and kicked savagely at a bush. “Fuck, this shouldn’t be this hard!”

 

“What shouldn’t be hard?”

 

“Shut it, you. I’m having enough trouble getting this out without you interrupting me. I made you a weapon, now show some gratitude and keep your mouth closed for a minute.”

 

Her voice grew soft as she continued, “I made you a weapon… I worked with you for hours, spending time with you by _choice_. I hate people, I never do that. What I’m trying to say is…”

 

She groaned and turned away from him, practically shouting, “You’re my friend, okay?!”

 

Reed couldn’t help but laugh. “ _That_ _’s_ what you were having such a hard time saying? Phaedra, of _course_ we’re friends! You know everything about my past, and if I ever make it as a Huntsman it will be because of the opportunity you gave me by building Halmvoulge. Of course I am grateful for that.”

 

“You have a funny way of showing it,” Phaedra muttered.

 

“What?”

 

“Ever since _Miss Muscles_ joined up you’ve spent every spare minute with her. I get it, she’s a fighter, like you. You two work well together, I don’t have any interest in getting in the way of your budding romance.”

 

“R-Romance?” Reed stuttered, taken off guard by the statement. Phaedra finally turned to look at him, and a small, wicked smile touched her lips.

 

“Are you _blushing_? Maidens, Reed, get a hold of yourself. You are always there to prop her up when she is confronted with the mistakes of her past, and she can barely take her eyes off you for a second. When we get back to Adigiar you really should ask her out on a proper date.”

 

“What… How… I mean…”

 

“Oh stop babbling,” Phaedra said, though her amusement was still obvious. “Although the idiotic look on your face makes saying this a little easier. You’re not just my friend, you’re my first friend. I never got along with kids my own age-”

 

“Shocking,” Reed said before he could help himself. Phaedra glared at him.

 

“I can still take it back you know.”

 

“Sorry, continue.”

 

“Look, my point is that since Sera joined us you and I have barely spent any time together. I meant what I said about not getting between you two, to be honest I don’t like guys that way. I just… miss hanging out with you.”

 

She winced at the statement. “Alright, that’s it. Let’s head back, you useless excuse for a bodyguard.”

 

 The barb had no bite, and Phaedra tried to brush past Reed. He caught her arm, and was surprised when she didn’t pull away from the touch.

 

“Phaedra, I… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you feel ignored. To be honest, I just haven’t known how to handle Sera until recently. I’m ashamed to admit I thought her change of heart was a front for quite a while, it happened so quickly. Then I was distracted by her asking me to teach her to fight Grimm, and then this expedition…”

 

Now that he thought about it, Reed couldn’t remember the last time he and Phaedra had had an actual conversation. “Hermit, I’m a lousy excuse for a first friend.”

 

“Yes, you are,” Phaedra said, a smile forcing its way out. “But you’ll do.”

 

* * *

 

 

“You and Phaedra get everything sorted out?”

 

Reed marched with Tanners at the front of their line. The hiking trail had widened enough to walk two abreast, though Tamus and Ivory still marched single-file at the rear.

 

“Um, yeah,” Reed said, glancing at the sergeant. “How’d you know something was wrong?”

 

Tanners shrugged. “I noticed that Phaedra was acting weird from the start of the expedition. Maybe it’s just because I’ve only had a few interactions with her, but she seemed different than when I ran into you three at Komodo Curry.”

 

“Is that why you asked to speak with her earlier?”

 

Tanners nodded. “She didn’t really answer any of my questions, but when I asked her about you she told me to shove my concern in a very inappropriate place. I figured if I gave you two a few minutes alone it would work itself out.”

 

They walked in silence for a while, the trail curving steadily to the north and back towards the main road. The afternoon sun dipped low in the sky, the air cooling slightly and bringing welcome relief from the oppressive heat of the day.

 

“Was Phaedra the problem within my squad?” Reed asked suddenly. The sergeant’s comment had been bouncing around his mind since the fight.

 

“She was,” Tanners confirmed.

 

“Phaedra’s not technically a part of my squad.”

 

“She is, for all intents and purposes,” Tanners said, a frown crossing his face. “Regardless, that problem’s been dealt with. Now something else is bothering me…”

 

“Delphin?” Reed guessed. “I saw you sizing him up after that sticky moment with the Ursa.”

 

“Delphin was one of the first Guards put under my command,” Tanners said. “No one else wanted to deal with him. He’s an adequate fighter, under the right circumstances, but he’s by the book. Stab, fire, pull and repeat. I’ve never seen him do anything half as complex as that move he pulled off to save Abbey…”

 

“Maybe Abbey just brings out the best in him?” Reed suggested. “They seem to get along well. Abbey never stops talking and he never says a word, they balance each other out.”

 

The sergeant looked unconvinced, and the expression caused a knot of worry to form in Reed’s stomach. “You don’t think…”

 

“I don’t know what to think,” Tanners cut him off, casting a worried look over his shoulder. “Keep a close eye on him, though. There are too many inconsistencies there for my liking.”


	18. Removing the Mask

Halmvoulge slammed through a Beowolf’s waist, cutting the monster in half.

 

Reed pushed through the cloud of black mist left in the Grimm’s place, eyes set on the Ursa lurking behind it. It was small for the species of bear-like Grimm, but that still put it a hand-span taller than himself. Normally Reed would take his time with a Grimm that large, but he felt Sergeant Tanners’s eyes burning into him, urging him to deal with the creature quickly.

 

The Ursa roared, forearm pulling back in preparation for a savage strike. Reed pushed his semblance past its normal activation, the creature appearing to slow and each minute movement becoming clear. As its paw began to move forward Reed calculated the trajectory it would take.

 

Reed eased his semblance to a low burn, and the Ursa’s attack quickly gained speed. It lashed out with enough power to break down a wall, but he was already moving. He stepped lightly to the side, pushing the attack wide with Halmvoulge’s shaft. As the monster’s claws passed him he spun Halmvoulge in his hands, settled into a wide stance, and brought the ax blade down hard on the back of the creature’s neck.

 

The Grimm stumbled forward several steps, as if in denial that its head was no longer attached to its body. Finally it collapsed to the ground, its large body disintegrating from shoulders to tail.

 

“Well done,” Tanners said, casually shooting down a Creeper that had tried to circle behind them. “I think that’s the last of them for the time being.”

 

Reed walked over to a flat rock, sitting down to catch his breath. Early that afternoon they had entered the mountains, following the path to the Support Tower. The majority of the horde still seemed content to ignore the expedition, but small packs had been breaking away from it to harass the Guards all day.

 

Now the moon hung high in the sky, light from its shattered edge casting shifting shadows among the rocks. Night had fallen several hours ago and most of the Guards were resting in preparation for retaking the tower the following day.

 

Despite the late hour and several days of marching Tanners appeared alert and well-rested. He stood on a tall rock, gaze cast in the direction of the ravine where the horde was congregated. The night was eerily quiet, a soft red glow to the east the only indication of the massive gathering of monsters.

 

“Did you try activating your semblance in bursts like I suggested?”

 

The question drew Reed out of his reverie, and he nodded. “Yeah,” he responded, trying not to let exhaustion bleed into his voice. “I pushed beyond my normal activation long enough to formulate a plan, then eased up during the execution.”

 

“Good, good,” the sergeant said distractedly. “That will maximize the usefulness of your semblance without exhausting you.”

 

A radio clipped to Tanners’s belt crackled for a moment before it cleared and Corporal Tamus’s voice emerged from the static.

 

_“Come in, Sergeant Tanners. This is Corporal Tamus, reporting in.”_

 

Tanners unclipped the radio, holding it out in front of him. “I read you Corporal, continue.”

 

_“Skittles and me just finished our rounds to the south. The area is clear, no signs of Grimm activity.”_

“Good, and the rest of your squad?”

 

 _“Ivory is checking equipment for tomorrow, and Spines is stationed at sentry point_ Theta _to the North. Both have reported in, no problems on either front. Camo is scouting to the west and recently passed out of radio range. He_ _’s scheduled to return at 0400.”_

 

“Excellent. You three get what rest you can and I will relieve Spines at 0200. Alert me when Camo has reported in.”

 

_“Sir.”_

 

Watching Tanners relay instructions, Reed realized he hadn’t considered what the sergeant’s semblance might be. He’d never seen anything beyond skill in his fights, nor anything out of the ordinary in his everyday life. He was always working, though, and Reed realized he hadn’t seen so much as a bed roll in Tanners’s tent. Whether it was just barely dawn, or the dead of night, the sergeant always seemed to have the exact same amount of energy…

 

“You don’t sleep, do you sir?”

 

Tanners started, finally looking away from the ravine and casting an appraising eye over Reed. Then he grinned, his teeth flashing white in the moon light.

 

“Very observant, Private. Not everyone is gifted with a combat-oriented semblance. Mine is a bureaucrat’s dream and a soldier’s nightmare: I don’t sleep. Can’t sleep. Not unless my aura has been drained entirely.”

 

“That must take a toll,” Reed said, imagining being unable to sleep no matter how weary he might be.

 

The sergeant merely shrugged. “Sleep simply rests the mind and body at the same time. I meditate when I have time for the former, and my body gets plenty of rest when I’m sitting behind a desk pushing paper. It _can_ be inconvenient, though. It’s been a while since my aura was completely drained, but when it happens…”

 

He held his hands together, miming resting his head on them like a pillow. “I’ve found ways to compensate for the lack of rest, but the body is an amazing thing. It will seize any opportunity to return to a natural cycle.”

 

Thinking about it, Reed realized that such a semblance could be extremely advantageous. Tanners had almost fifty percent more time every day to train, organize, investigate, and do whatever needed doing. All for the cost of a little aura.

 

Reed’s eyelids felt like lead. He wouldn’t mind an ability like that right now.

 

Tanners _tsk_ ed. “Another down-side is that I sometimes forget that everyone else _does_ need sleep. You’re dead on your feet, Private, and we have a big day tomorrow. Go get some shut-eye.”

 

Reed smiled gratefully. “Thank you, sir I think I-”

 

He trailed off as Tanners’s back stiffened. He was on his feet in a moment, Halmvoulge in hand. The sound that had triggered their reaction was indistinct, echoing off the rocky terrain. It sounded like the staccato clacking of claws on stone, but while some of them were the typical scraping of Ursai or Beowolves, others were loud and sharp.

 

“There, to the east!”

 

Reed followed Tanners’s gaze. A massive Ursa, easily twice the size of the one he’d just killed, was cresting the lip of the ravine. It was dwarfed, though, by the Grimm that followed.

 

Two giant pincers, each larger than Corporal Tamus, emerged from the ravine. They were quickly followed by a many-legged arachnid body, and a thick, arching tail with a dull orange stinger that hovered over the Grimm’s back.

 

“Death Stalker,” Reed said in awe. It was the first-time he’d ever seen one of the scorpion-like Grimm in person. The size was intimidating enough, but no picture could have prepared him for the inexorable rhythm of the single-clawed legs charging across solid stone.

 

The Grimm ignored the two Guards, running straight for the expedition camp. Tanners took off on an interception course, Reed hot on his heels. They were closing in when suddenly the Ursa changed course, circling towards the northern side of the camp in the opposite direction as Reed and Tanners.

 

“Go after the Ursa!”

 

“Sir!”

 

It was too late to go around the Death Stalker, so Reed charged straight towards it. He rolled under one snapping pincer, getting his feet under him and jumping the next as it swept low across the ground. The stinger rocketed through the air towards him, but Tanners swept it aside with his gun-spear and it clanged harmlessly off the rocks.

 

Reed rolled again as he landed and suddenly he was on open ground. He sprinted flat out towards the Ursa, casting a glance backwards, only to find that Tanners had the Death Stalker well in hand. Jabs and shots struck eyes, legs, and chinks in the monster’s armor. For its part the Death Stalker looked like a child trying to snatch a fly from the air, every attack missing by feet rather than inches.

 

Turning back to the matter at hand, Reed eyed the Ursa as he closed on it. The spikes on its back were more than a yard long, ending in wicked points. Bone-plates the same white as its mask had developed around the shoulders, hips, and along the outside of its limbs.

 

His ears rang with the adrenaline pumping through his blood. This creature had lived a long time. It had probably killed dozens of people, and possibly even a Huntsman in training. Reed wasn’t about to try and take out a monster like _that_ in one strike.

 

The Ursa was getting dangerously close to camp, though. A steep spire of rock jutted out from the ground, and Reed realized it was sentry point _Theta_ , where Tamus had said Spines was stationed. There was no sign of her, but she had probably seen the massive Grimm coming and retreated back to camp to organize a defense.

 

That would be a good back-up, but Reed planned on stoping the monster well before it reached the expedition. He snapped off a quick series of shots. The condensed fireballs bounced harmlessly off the Ursa’s armor plating, but they hit with enough force to stagger the Grimm. With a roar it spun to face him, one paw slamming into the tall rock and sending cracks spider-webbing out from the point of impact.

 

Reed made a mental note to _not_ get hit by that.

 

The Ursa’s claws dug into the ground, rock screeching in protest, and the monster jumped. At the apex of its leap it was easily ten feet off the ground, and it hurtled towards Reed with the inexorability of a falling boulder.

 

He dodged to the side, but the force of its claws slamming into the ground sent up a stinging cloud of shards, forcing Reed to back away with arms covering his face. He surged his semblance as it swung backhanded, ducking under the blow only to find another wickedly clawed paw on a collision course with his head. He slammed Halmvoulge’s tip into the ground, creating an incline plane that deflected the blow high over his crouched form.

 

The force of the blow drove him to one knee, but suddenly he had an open shot at the creature’s side. He pulled his weapon from the ground with a jerk, spun into a standing position, and slammed the tip between two of the Grimm’s armor plates. It stuck fast, and he fired.

 

The fireball burst from the creature’s back and it roared in pain. Despite the hole drilled through its body, the Grimm seemed more angry than injured. The Ursa reared high on its hind legs, and a panicked part of Reed’s brain noted that he barely came up to the monster’s naval.

 

The Ursa slammed both of its forepaws straight down, aiming to squash Reed under its weight. He jumped back, semblance burning hard as he waited for the right moment. When the arms were lowered just enough that the mask was visible Reed dropped his semblance, flipped the green switch, and lashed out in a wide arc.

 

Halmvoulge slammed across the Ursa’s mask and Reed felt a thrill of victory. It had been a solid hit to the monster’s weak point, that should be enough to…

 

The Ursa’s head turned back towards him, a long gauge across its face. It growled, low, angry, and definitely _not_ dead. One arm lashed out low and swept Reed’s legs out from under him, the other already raised high to slam him into the ground.

 

In panic Reed slammed his semblance into the highest burn he could manage, feeling his aura immediately start to deplete at a dangerous rate. He had to think quickly. His position couldn’t be worse, he was suspended in the air with no point of leverage, and the paw creeping towards him would smash him to pulp long before he could land and block. He didn’t have time to brace his weapon against the ground and spear the paw, the only thing that could possibly move him in time would be to activate Halmvoulge’s Wind dust.

 

He grimaced inwardly, but didn’t see much of a choice. Easing his semblance to a manageable level he flipped the green switch, gripped his weapon just below the ax-head, and hoped for the best.

 

Halmvoulge spun around, catching fast in the Ursa’s wrist. The sudden resistance pushed Reed out from under the attack, his feet landing firmly on the ground. He turned off the wind but kept pushing on the middle of his staff. As the Grimm’s paw hit the ground the butt of his staff swung high, smacking into the Ursa’s head and encasing it in ice.

 

It stumbled backwards, swiping wildly at empty air. It would break free soon, though, Reed knew. Taking a deep breath, he charged.

 

Running flat out at the monster, Reed pushed Halmvoulge into the ground in front of him and vaulted high over the Grimm. He activated the wind again and began to spin, gaining momentum as he arced down towards the Ursa’s head.

 

When he was less than a handful of feet away he pushed his semblance hard one last time. The spinning had disoriented him, but now he could see that he was directly on target.

 

As was the Ursa.

 

Halmvoulge shattered the creature’s frozen head at the exact moment that a wildly swinging arm crashed into his chest. Reed felt his aura strain to protect him from the blow as he was tossed through the air. His back slammed into the spire of rock, and his aura finally shattered.

 

Reed fell flat on the ground with a groan, Halmvoulge clattering from his loose fingers. He forced himself to look up, a small smile crossing his lips as the last of the massive Ursa dissipated into nothing.

 

He dropped his gaze in relief. He’d lay there for a moment to catch his breath and let his aura recover enough to dull the pain. Then he would go and make sure Tanners was…

 

His eyes fell on a corpse. Deep gouges criss-crossed the upper body, forearms, and across its throat. Quills emerging from the scalp were soaked in blood, and empty eyes stared vacantly at the sky.

 

Reed froze, staring in horror at Spine’s body. Those weren’t the rending slash marks of a Grimm’s hooked claws, they were the clean slices of a blade. The outside of the arms were cut to tatters, indicated a desperate attempt to defend against a surprise attack. But why Spines? If it was the White Fang spy, then why would they attack a Faunus? Maybe if-

 

Suddenly a metal club entered his vision, and everything went black.  


* * *

 

“Those were _ax_ wounds, dammit! I don’t care what Grimm he was fighting, _it_ didn’t kill her!”

 

“Henry, we have to stay calm. We haven’t even heard his side yet.”

 

“You actually think _Reed_ killed Spines? I know you aren’t exactly smart, but you can’t be _that_ stupid.”

 

“Careful girl, one of _our_ squad mates was found dead next to _your_ squad leader, with wounds matching _his_ weapon. Don’t start something you’ll regret.”

 

“Who’s to say _we_ will be the ones regretting it?”

 

“And _again_ , I am not technically part of his squad.”

 

“ _Enough_.”

 

Reed returned to consciousness slowly, clawing through an agonizing pounding in his head. His eyes were crusted shut, and his arms wouldn’t respond when he tried to move them. With a groan he raised his head from where it had slumped against his chest.

 

“He’s waking up, let’s settle this.”

 

A massive hand twined into Reed’s hair and yanked his head back. The sudden movement sent a spike of pain through his brain, but he was just able to push his eyes open through a haze of red.

 

His first visual was a row of large, rectangular teeth, bared menacingly at him. Tamus glowered down at him, his eyes puffy with sorrow and alight with rage.

 

“Why’d you do it, you little pissant?! What’d she ever do to you?!”

 

Tamus shook Reed, and blackness threatened to engulf him again. Suddenly his grip slackened, and Reed squinted through blurred eyes to see Seraphina placing herself between them.

 

“Stop that! You expect him to be able to answer with you shaking his brains to mush? Get a hold of yourself, Corporal!”

 

“Get the Grimm out of my way, _Private_ , or I will tear you limb from limb!”

 

“You will do no such thing, Henry.” Tanners’s words were soft, but cold and disapproving. Tamus went rigid, looking over Reed’s head. Reed couldn’t tell what he saw, but the blood drained from the big man’s face.

 

“That’s better. Ivory, take him out for some fresh air. I need to hear what Reed has to say for himself, _without_ the Corporal’s hysterics.”

 

Dark muttering followed the statement, but two pairs of foot-steps retreated and canvas flapped as Ivory and Tamus left the tent.

 

“Reed, I know you took a pretty good hit to the head, but I need you to focus. What happened after we split up?”

 

Split up? That’s right, Reed had been training with Tanners. Why had they split up? An image of a Death Stalker flashed through his mind, its claws passing within inches of him as he pursued a massive Ursa.

 

But what was this about someone dying?

 

“He needs rest,” a concerned voice said. Seraphina, he realized. She sounded far away. Rest sounded good, though. If only he could get comfortable…

 

He tried again to move his arms, this time feeling the ropes that dug into his wrists. They’d tied him up. Why? Frustration pushed its way through the blackness, but he just didn’t seem capable of getting his thoughts straight.

 

“This is useless. That damn brute concussed the Grimm-begotten sense out of him.”

 

Phaedra. What was she doing here? He was concussed? That would explain the nausea.

 

At the thought Reed leaned over, expelling the rations that had been his last meal. There wasn’t much left, he noted absently, eyes drifting closed again. Must have been some time since dinner.

 

“Hermit-shit, you almost hit me with that! Give me a little warning next time!”

 

“Shouldn’t his aura have healed him already? It’s been over an hour since Tamus knocked him out.”

 

“It sounds like Henry caught him by surprise, hitting him full force without the protection of his aura. He probably can’t consciously activate it yet.”

 

Reed felt a feather light touch on his temples. A spark snapped through his head and his eyes flew open, staring wildly at the suddenly sharp and clear surroundings.

 

He sat in Tanners’s tent on a camp seat. His arms were tied behind his back, the rope passed through the slats of the chair to keep him secure. Seraphina and Phaedra both stared at him in concern, the latter shooting a dark glance at a pair of silhouettes just visible through one canvas wall.

 

Tanners’s hands pulled back, resting on his knees. He was squatting in front of Reed, observing him through narrowed, calculating eyes.

 

“There we go. Welcome back.”

 

“Where… Who… How’d you do that?” Reed’s thoughts were flying back too quick for him to grasp all at once.

 

“I used my aura to kick-start your own, you were too out of it to start healing yourself.”

 

“How do you feel, Reed?” Seraphina asked, leaning down and reaching a hand towards his face. She brushed it across his brow, and dried blood the color of rust cascaded down in front of his eyes.

 

“Awful,” Reed said, suppressing a dry heave. Phaedra stepped quickly back.

 

“Hey, no more of that!”

 

“Sorry,” he muttered, shaking his head. He could still feel blood pounding painfully behind his eyes, but it was starting to recede somewhat. The fight with the Ursa was coming back to him. The final blow, the glancing hit that had tossed him against the rock, coming face-to-face with a wide-eyed corpse…

 

“Spines… She’s dead, isn’t she?”

 

Tanners nodded, scrutinizing Reed. “How did it happen?”

 

“I don’t know,” Reed said, frowning as he tried to organize his thoughts. “I didn’t notice her body until after I’d dealt with the Ursa. It ran right for it, though… The Ursa, I mean. Towards the body.”

 

“It must have been drawn to whatever happened,” Phaedra interjected. “You said the Ursa suddenly peeled off from a collision course with the camp, right? It must have sensed the struggle.”

 

“If that’s the case, she was killed moments before Reed arrived,” Tanners said, sounding unconvinced. “Did you see anyone nearby?”

 

“No,” Reed grunted. “Not ‘til Tamus smashed my head in.”

 

“Mmm.” The sound was noncommittal, the sergeant’s eyes narrowed in thought. Reed realized that though he’d built a foundation of trust with Tanners, he was simply the most likely suspect. He’d have to convince Tanners that it hadn’t been him.

 

His concussion was almost gone, and Reed frantically considered everything that had happened that night. Where was the outlier, the piece that didn’t fit with the rest?

 

The Death Stalker and fully matured Ursa had been unexpected, but not exactly surprising as the expedition drew closer to the Support Tower. The Ursa peeling off to the north could be explained by whatever had happened to Spines. Tamus’s squad appeared to be handling the bulk of the expedition’s night-time scouting, but with Faunus’s excellent night vision that made sense.

 

Something about that last piece struck an off chord in his memory, and Reed grasped at it desperately. Why did it feel weird that Tamus’s squad was doing the scouting? No, that wasn’t it. It was _how_ they were scouting. They were split up, operating independently or in pairs.

 

That’s how’d they’d acted during the riots as well. Suddenly it flashed through Reed’s mind, the roll call that had crackled through his head piece just before they had swooped in to save Reed’s squad from the Heroes of Humanity. Each member of Tamus’s team had checked in, which meant every single one of them had had a radio…

 

“How many radios did Tamus’s squad get during the riots?” Reed asked, a sinking feeling in his stomach.

 

Tanners tilted his head at Reed in confusion. “Two, just like every other squad.”

 

Reed glanced at Seraphina, but she appeared as confused as the sergeant. Of course she hadn’t had a radio, she hadn’t heard what he had. “When you found the White Fang spy in the slums, was their equipment significantly different from what the Guard has been using?”

 

“It was slightly newer, but of the same technology. What are you getting at, Private?”

 

Reed took a deep breath. This wasn’t going to go over well. “Sir, the day of the riots Tamus and his squad executed a perfectly timed rescue operation, entering from five different directions. Just before they rushed the Heroes of Humanity, all _five_ of them confirmed their positions over the radio.”

 

“You can confirm this?” His voice was too quiet, and it sent a chill down Reed’s spine.

 

“Chase would have heard it to, you can call him.”

 

“ _Corporal!_ ” Tanners roared, and Reed flinched at the sudden anger in the man’s voice. “In here. _Now._ ”

 

The flaps of the tent burst inward as Tamus charged into the tent, blunderbuss-bat held at the ready. He glared at Reed, stomping towards him, before backpedaling in surprise when Tanners snatched the bat from his hands.

 

“You didn’t think to tell me,” Tanners said, stalking in close as Tamus’s back hit the canvas wall, “That a member of your squad had spare radios on hand?”

 

“Felix,” Tamus said in a placating voice, confusion and hurt written across his face. “Why would it matter if-”

 

“I told you they were using encrypted radio signals to orchestrate the fall of the Support Tower,” Tanners growled, jabbing Tamus in the chest with his own weapon. “I _told_ you that the White Fang spy had a radio station set up in the slums! You didn’t find it odd that one of your squad mates just _happened_ to have extra radios you could use?!”

 

The blood drained from his face. “I-”

 

“Who was it, Henry?”

 

“Felix, no one in my squad would-”

 

“WHO WAS IT?!”

 

“It was Camo, but it’s just a hobby of his! He’s one of those people that likes to talk to bullhead pilots and the like, says-”

 

“By the Maidens, Henry!” Tanners swore. He stomped over to the map, ripping out a section and turning it over. He started scribbling frantically on the back. “Just my luck that Huntress Kadir went to scout the tower. He’s not gonna like this, but it can’t be helped…”

 

Tanners finished writing and rolled the scrap of parchment into a small tube. Then he put his fingers to his lips and let out a piercing whistle.

 

For a moment nothing happened, and everyone exchanged confused glances. Suddenly a falcon swooped into the tent, landing on Sergeant Tanners’s shoulder and ruffling its feathers indignantly. Tanners held the paper out to the bird, and it snapped from his fingers.

 

“Take this to Argrom, and tell him to pass it along to Huntress Kadir. They’ll have to work together if they want to catch that traitorous bastard.”


	19. Chapter 18: Figures in the Shadows

The tent flaps fluttered closed in the wake of the falcon’s exit. Tanners turned to meet the questioning stares of the tent’s occupants.

 

“Argrom,” Phaedra said flatly. “You just told a _bird_ to take a message to _Argrom_?”

 

“Who is Argrom?” Reed asked, glancing between the two. For some reason the name sounded familiar, but he couldn’t place it in connection to the events that had just unfolded.

 

“He’s a _myth_!” Phaedra sscoffed. “The people of Tani have worshiped him as the guardian of the forest for generations, but he doesn’t actually _exist_.”

 

T _hat_ was how Reed knew the name. Phaedra had started cursing by him recently, claiming that she was tired of using the Maidens and the Hermit. No wonder Phaedra looked so incredulous, a local deity was about as likely to exist as the Maidens and Hermit themselves.

 

“Argrom has been working with Huntress Kadir and myself to suppress the Grimm these past months,” Tanners explained. “He prefers the company of animals to people and lives in the forest, but that’s where his similarities with the myth ends. I’d say the name was a joke if he had a single humorous bone in his body, but regardless he’s just a person like you and me. Well, maybe a little more… _eccentric_ , but certainly not a god.”

 

“More eccentric than Pixie here?” Seraphina said with a smirk. “Somehow I doubt that.”

 

Phaedra glowered at the taunt. “You really want to get into this now, Miss Muscles?”

 

“Guys,” Reed intervened, stepping between them. “This isn’t the time for this.”

 

“Sorry,” Seraphina muttered, rubbing the back of her neck. “Couldn’t resist.”

 

“I’m still not convinced that Camo did anything wrong,” Tamus growled, glowering at Reed. “Your evidence is weak and the timing is a little convenient for my liking.”

 

“Why don’t you ask him yourself?” Phaedra snapped at the corporal. “Oh wait, you can’t. He passed out of radio contact hours ago. Like _that_ _’s_ not convenient?”

 

“He was headed west!” Tamus shot back, jabbing a massive finger at the map still spread on the table. “Spines was killed in the north!”

 

“Yeah, and it’s totally impossible that he changed direction once out of sight of the camp,” Phaedra mocked. “It’s not like we are in the Grimm-begotten _mountains_ , with ravines and rocky outcroppings around every damn turn!”

 

“By the Maidens that is _enough_ ,” Tanners said, rubbing his temples. “I have enough to worry about without you two constantly at each other’s throats. Phaedra, go tell the Forgemaster that I’m going to need an impromptu cell built. See what he can put together.”

 

Phaedra shot one last annoyed glance at Tamus before snapping an overly exaggerated salute to the sergeant and striding from the tent.

 

“Henry, I know the evidence is circumstantial, but it fits a little too well for my liking. If Argrom and Huntress Kadir find him to the north that would be rather damning. Wouldn’t you agree?”

 

Tamus didn’t look convinced, but he nodded his assent.

 

“What if he did it, but they can’t track him down?” Seraphina asked. “Huntress Kadir may be able to fly, but there are plenty of places to hide around here. Pixie was right about that much.”

 

Tanners shook his head. “Argrom’s information network is… extensive. If there’s anybody hiding between here and the Support Tower he will find them.”

 

* * *

 

 

First one hour passed, then two. The occupants of the tent were restless, but nobody wanted to leave and miss whatever was about to happen. Tamus’s insistence that Camo was innocent became increasingly uncertain as dawn light began to filter through the canvas, Camo’s scheduled return to camp more than an hour late.

 

Finally the radio on Reed’s belt crackled to life, and everyone stared at it in expectation.

 

“ _Uh, Reed?_ ” Chase sounded shaken, his voice quavering. “ _You_ _’re gonna want to see this._ ”

 

Everyone rushed from the tent, heading for Chase’s position at the camp’s perimeter. As they emerged from the dense clutter of tents Reed skidded to a halt, staring at the road winding north into the mountains.

 

Camo was stumbling towards the camp, eyes glazed, torn uniform revealing a myriad of scrapes and bruises. His wrists were firmly bound in front of him, the rope snaking down straight into the jaws of a _wolf_.

 

There were two of the massive creatures, one dragging Camo impatiently forward, the other nipping at his heels whenever he slowed.

 

Tanners released an exasperated sigh. “Honestly, Argrom. I know you don’t like crowds, but this is ridiculous.”

 

The wolves stopped a dozen paces from the group of Guards, dropping the leash and settling onto their haunches. They watched patiently as Tamus rushed forward, grabbing Camo by the shoulders and tilting the man’s face up to look at him.

 

“Camo? Camo! What’s wrong?! What did these beasts do to you?!”

 

“Easy, Henry,” Tanners said, placing a hand on the corporal’s shoulder as he peered into Camo’s vacant eyes. “The wolves didn’t do this. Let’s see… Ah, here we go.”

 

Tanners reached a hand around the back of Camo’s neck, lifting it to reveal a small scorpion, its barbed tail tipped with blood. He set it gently on the ground and it scampered into a crevice in the rocks. “That was a Nemurukiba. Their poison isn’t lethal, it just induces a state similar to sleep paralysis. His aura must have counter-acted it enough to allow him to walk. I have to admit, that’s pretty clever.”

 

“C-Corporal,” Camo stuttered, eyes focusing slightly on the large Faunus. “What’s going on? I was just scouting when…”

 

“Camo,” Tamus said in a pained voice. “Tell me they’re wrong. Tell me you had good reason to be up north. It couldn’t have been you who killed Spines, you don’t even fight with an ax, you use a rifle. Plus-”

 

A low growl from one of the wolves cut through Tamus’s pleading. It pushed its nose into the small of Camo’s back, and Tanners walked around behind the bound Guard. His eyes grew hard as he pulled a pair of hatchets from the man’s belt.

 

Camo’s eyes flicked between Tanners and the wolves, the last remnants of disorientation disappearing from his gaze.

 

“That lunatic with the wolves was with you, Sarg?” His voice had changed entirely. It was icy, dripping with disgust. “Well Grimm, I was hoping he was just some Hermit-crazed mountain man.”

 

“Card Mov,” Tanners voice was calm, but the barely suppressed anger was obvious. “You are suspected of conspiracy against your fellow Guards and murder of one of your squad mates. Do you have anything to say for yourself?”

 

Camo shrugged, his expression disinterested. “No point denying it now, I can see you’ve already made up your mind. Spines saw me cut through the perimeter on my way north, and I was forced to silence her before she reported in. That was very sneaky of you, Sarg, keeping someone like that out beyond the camp perimeter.”

 

“Why were you going to the tower?” Tanners asked, seeming to loom over Camo despite them being close in height. “What is waiting for us there?”

 

“Exactly what you think, Sarg,” Camo said, looking Tanners straight in the eye, thoroughly unimpressed. “A whole mess of Grimm. I just had something to clean up.”

 

His lips twitched and his eyes crinkled in a cruel smile. “It takes a _lot_ of pain to draw this many Grimm, most of the technicians have probably bled out by now. It would have been a real thorn in my side if one of them had managed to hold on long enough for you to get to them.”

 

He shrugged carelessly. “Moot point now.”

 

“Reed,” Tanners’s teeth were clenched in barely suppressed anger. “You and Seraphina take this traitor back to my tent. I’ll round up Gerstein and Argentos.”

 

He glared at Camo. “There’s more to this than he’s letting on. One way or another we are going to get some answers.”

 

* * *

 

 

Reed and Seraphina took up positions on either side of Camo, gripping his elbows firmly and marching him through the camp. Despite his position Camo walked with straight-backed confidence, glancing with disdain at his escort.

 

“Held prisoner by a self-loathing Faunus and a boy as green as his hair,” he shook his head in mock despair. “How far I have fallen.”

 

“You killed one of your own people,” Seraphina responded hotly, “But you consider _this_ the low point?”

 

“Don’t bother, Sera. He’s just trying to get a rise out of us.”

 

Reed scrutinized Camo out of the corner of his eye. Granted he hadn’t known the man long, but he hadn’t seemed a likely candidate for the White Fang spy. He’d come across as sincere, if a little socially awkward. Reed had talked with the man about his past, about how…

 

He frowned, replaying their interactions in his head. Camo hadn’t actually said anything more than a vague statement about his parents living in Menagerie. Reed had made a point of trying to learn as much as possible about each of the Faunus in Tamus’s squad, how had he missed that Camo had managed to dodge his inquiries?

 

“You were the one who outed Tamus,” the revelation made him feel queasy. “You were the one who told me that his dad was in the White Fang.”

 

Camo chuckled, sounding satisfied. “Your attempts to investigate us were painfully obvious. I threw out that little tidbit and you snatched it up like a starved dog, running back to your friends with your prize without even realizing that I hadn’t answered your questions.”

 

There were other small things, now that Reed thought about it. Chase had mentioned that during the fight with the Heroes of Humanity Camo had seemed completely different. Angry, almost scary. He’d played it off as being in the heat of the moment, but Reed should have recognized the inconsistency in the man’s apparently calm and easy-going nature.

 

“That’s a good look on you,” Camo licked his lips, eying Reed hungrily. “It must be so hard to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders. Tamus and them have known me for more than a year, but obviously _you_ are at fault. Only you had the ability to catch me, only you could have put all the pieces together, and you failed.”

 

Reed flushed, biting back the sharp retort that rose to his lips. Camo’s mouth spread into a wide, cruel smile.

 

“Arrogant kids like you are so much fun to play with.”

 

Seraphina’s eyes blazed with anger, but at a look from Reed she remained quiet. They reached Tanners’s tent, pushing Camo in before them. The man strode across the threshold before stumbling to a halt. His shoulders tensed, his at-ease posture replaced with something that looked oddly like fear as he tried to back out again.

 

“What are _you_ doing here?”

 

Seraphina placed a restraining hand on Camo’s back, exchanging a worried glance with Reed before they cautiously made their way into the tent. Camo’s eyes were fixed on the back corner of the tent, where a man lounged in the only chair.

 

Narrowed eyes looked out from under a wild mane of jet-black hair. A pair of furred, triangular ears pricked towards them, and a lopsided smile revealed teeth filed to wicked points. The man stood, the action causing his mottled-brown cloak to shift, revealing a longsword belted to his waist.

 

“The best part of the hunt,” the man growled, his voice sending shivers down Reed’s spine, “Is when your prey thinks they are safe.”

 

Reed gulped. “I’m guessing that means you’re Argrom?”

 

“Yes,” Argrom confirmed, one eyebrow rising as his gaze settled on Reed. “Ah, it’s you. The boy who has spent so much time in my forest.”

 

The statement was not quite an accusation, but he still shifted uncomfortably under the intense man’s scrutiny. Argrom hummed thoughtfully before returning his attention to Camo. “You were a slippery one, always one step ahead of my pack. Any time they got too close their ears would start to hurt and they would get confused. Good thing my little arachnid friend was able to get the drop on you.”

 

Camo spat on the ground in front of Argrom, regaining a semblance of his condescending presence. “Poison, a coward’s weapon.”

 

Argrom grinned, the expression devoid of humor. “Your screech is worse than your bite, little bat.”

 

A booming voice cut through the air, and Reed’s heart sank as he recognized its owner.

 

“This is unacceptable, Sergeant!” Gerstein roared. “We had a traitor in our midst this whole time, and you only deign to tell me _now_?!”

 

The overly muscled man stomped into the tent, looking over one shoulder at Tanners, who followed him into the tent accompanied by Captain Argentos and Kiwidinek.

 

“What’s the big deal, Gerstein,” Argentos murmured, rubbing sleepily at her eyes. “Tanners caught the guy, right?”

 

“ _After_ the bastard killed someone!” Gerstein shouted, and Reed winced at the unnecessary volume. The man could probably be heard all the way back in Adigiar, and yet he wondered why the sergeant hadn’t made him privy to such sensitive information.

 

“The call wasn’t his to make, Captain,” Kiwidinek said in a tired voice, entering the tent at the back of the group. “I gave the order.”

 

“Of course you did,” Gerstein grumbled, coming to a stop in front of Camo and shoving his face down in front of the traitor’s. “Thought you were clever, eh? Making us waste time on this Grimm-begotten expedition. Well the game is up! Your plan has been foiled!”

 

“Captain,” Tanners groaned, hand to his forehead. “We don’t _know_ his plan, only that the expedition was part of it.”

 

Gerstein flushed, grabbing Camo by the front of his tattered uniform and lifting him off his feet. “What I meant was we are _going_ to foil his plan! Now what is it? Tell me now, before I beat it out of you!”

 

Camo spread his hands innocently. “No, no, you had it right the first time. There’s nothing else to it, you’ve thwarted me, my inane friend.”

 

A look of confusion passed across Gerstein’s face. “Inane…?”

 

“ _Gerstein_ ,” Kiwidinek sighed, “Would you please put him down? That will get us nowhere.”

 

The Huntress had dark bags under her eyes and her feet dragged as she approached Camo. Reed had barely seen her the entire march, normally only in passing as she flew over the expedition. Judging by her exhausted appearance she had been working herself to the bone the entire trip.

 

Gerstein set the Faunus back on his feet, taking several steps back. It was an unconscious movement, despite all the captain’s complaints about Kiwidinek he seemed to have no intention of getting in her way.

 

“This doesn’t have to get ugly, Camo,” Kiwidinek said in a placating voice. She grabbed the chair from the corner of the tent and set it next to him, gesturing for him to take a seat. He glowered at her, but settled into the chair.

 

“Many people are going to die in the assault on the tower, and not just humans. I know you’re frustrated with how your people are treated, but is your vengeance worth their lives?”

 

Camo sneered at the woman, her plea obviously doing little to impress him. “Who’s to say any of them will even follow you? What if I told you they are _all_ members of the White Fang, simply waiting for my order to turn their weapons on you?”

 

Kiwidinek smiled sadly. “More attempts to divide us? You’ll have to do better than that. Let’s try something else. Tell me about yourself, Camo. Where did you grow up?”

 

“The moon,” he responded, rolling his eyes. “Lovely place, before someone went and broke it.”

 

“How about your parents? What were they like?”

 

“My father was a Death Stalker and my dear mother was an alien. Made the ‘sex talk’ really awkward.”

 

Kiwidinek patiently continued her questions, despite Camo’s ridiculous and unhelpful responses. Reed didn’t understand why she bothered, the line of inquiry obviously wasn’t going anywhere. He turned to say something to Seraphina but she wasn’t looking at him or Kiwidinek and Camo. Her gaze was fixed on Argrom, who was conversing in a low voice with Tanners at the back of the tent.

 

“What’s wrong?” Reed asked her in a low voice. Her brow furrowed in response.

 

“I don’t know,” she murmured, hands clenching at her side. “But something doesn’t feel right. My shoulders are tight and I keep unconsciously reaching for my knives, but at the same time I want to turn around and run as far away from that man as I can.”

 

Reed looked up in time to see Kiwidinek’s eyes flash in Argrom’s direction. He gave her a small nod, barely more than a minuscule dip of his chin. Her tone changed suddenly, becoming hard and uncompromising, and her questions flew from her mouth in rapid succession.

 

“Why’d you join the White Fang?”

 

“Because I hate humans,” Camo responded, anger seeping into his voice, replacing the scorn. “You’d all be better served rotting in the ground.”

 

“Did you torture the Support Tower technicians?”

 

“Yeah, and I enjoyed it,” he growled, a manic light entering his eyes. “Their screams were more beautiful than any orchestra.”

 

Seraphina’s hands held her knives in a white-knuckled grip now, her legs bending in a crouch and her lips pulling back in a snarl. Reed stared in bewilderment between her and Camo, completely at a loss. What was going on, and why were Seraphina and Camo the only ones who seemed affected?

 

“Was your intent to lure the Guard out of Adigiar?”

 

“Of course it was, you stupid bitch!”

 

“Are the other Faunus following your orders?”

 

“Those cowards don’t have the resolve to do what we do!”

 

With a roar Seraphina charged towards Camo. Reed was moving before he had time to think, jumping forward and grabbing her by the wrist. He kicked her feet out from under her, wrenching her arm behind her back and driving her into the ground.

 

“Seraphina, what the Grimm are you doing?!” Her eyes were wild and she writhed underneath him, his words falling on deaf ears.

 

“What is waiting for us at the tower?!” Kiwidinek shouted over the din, ignoring the pair struggling on the ground.

 

“Your death!” Camo cackled, eyes wide and pupils dilated. “Even our fearless leader Adam Taurus can’t handle that woman! Her dress is stained red from the blood of her countless victims, her eye alight with the fire she rains down on her enemies!”

 

“Alright, that’s enough, Argrom,” Tanners placed a restraining hand on the man’s shoulder. Argrom seemed not to notice, leaning forward with his eyes locked on Camo and a rictus grin twisting his face.

 

“Metal feet will kick your teeth in! Your mind will be twisted with illusions and arrows will knock you from the sky!”

 

Gerstein looked sick, and even Argentos seemed fully awake now, staring at Camo in horror.

 

“We donned the mask of monsters and now they follow our every command! Humankind will fall to the superior might of the Faunus!”

 

“ _Argrom!_ ” Kiwidinek snapped, putting a restraining hand on Camo as he tried to stand. “For the Maiden’s sake we have what we need!”

 

The man blinked, his face settling into a neutral expression. He straightened and closed his eyes, breathing deeply.

 

The effect was immediate. Seraphina suddenly stilled under Reed, panting softly as sweat dripped down her face. Camo’s eyes rolled into the back of his head and he collapsed limply to the ground.

 

Reed got shakily to his feet, offering Seraphina a hand and hauling her up. He stared open-mouthed at Tanners, who had the look of a man forced to swallow a bitter herbal drought.

 

“Sorry Seraphina,” the sergeant said softly, refusing to meet Reed’s gaze. “I should have asked you to leave, but it might have put Camo on his guard.”

 

“What in the name of the Hermit _was_ that?” Seraphina groaned, rubbing her eyes with the heels of her hands. “I was so _angry_. All I could think of was how much everything he was saying was _pissing_ me off. How much I wanted to sink my knife into him over and over and…”

 

She trailed off, looking like she might lose her breakfast. Reed put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, glaring openly at Argrom. The man’s eyes were hooded, but the look in them was that of a starving man who’d been forced to stop eating. As if he wanted nothing more than to continue where he’d left off.

 

Kiwidinek took a shaky breath. “It’s… complicated. Argrom can commune with animals, but they don’t talk in the way we do. He reads their emotions and conveys to them his own.”

 

“It doesn’t work on humans,” Argrom snarled, “But Faunus are part animal. That part of them responds to my semblance, while the human side rejects it. The effect is… interesting.”

 

Kiwidinek eyed him with a worried expression. “You pushed too hard, Argrom. Channeling that much anger… Are you going to be alright?”

 

“I’ll be fine,” he snapped, glaring around the tent. “You have what you need, you say? Good, then it’s time I took my leave. This entire place reeks of people.”

 

Stalking forward he pushed roughly past Reed and for the first time he saw the man’s face in profile. Where his human ear should have been there was only a scar, jagged and pale with age.

 

“What is that guy’s problem?” Gerstein said gruffly, though he still sounded shaken. “Should we be working with an animal like that?”

 

“He’s a good man,” Kiwidinek said, “But he has had a harder life than most. He just needs some time alone to recover.” Despite her assurance her tone held its own level of concern.

 

“Regardless,” Tanners said with the distinct sound of someone trying to change the topic, “That may have been unpleasant, but the information we gleaned has to be taken into account. There’s someone waiting for us at the tower, possibly a group of them, and it sounds like they aren’t just going to let us clear the place of Grimm and get it running again.”

 

“This is getting out of hand,” Argentos murmured. “Do we have the resources to fight off that horde of Grimm _and_ whoever that guy was ranting about? I don’t like the sound of all that “fire raining from the sky” stuff. It may be time to consider a tactical retreat.”

 

“No,” Tanners said firmly. “We _have_ to do this. Adigiar won’t survive if we don’t reclaim the Support Tower.”

 

Kiwidinek turned to Tanners, her face worried. “Felix, she might be right. _Someone_ in the Vale government has to have noticed that the tower is down. Maybe we should pull back and wait for reinforcements, I can fly there in two days if I push myself and-”

 

“ _No_ ,” Tanners said through gritted teeth. “I can do this. _We_ can do this. We just need to tweak our strategy.”

 

His tone sounded off to Reed. For the first time he could remember the sergeant looked… young. His mouth was set in a stubborn line and a defiant light glinted in his eyes.

 

“The boy is right,” Gerstein said, the statement sounding like it left a bad taste in his mouth. “Retreat is for the weak and cowardly. Just because a couple of people are mixed in with the Grimm doesn’t mean anything. We just have to hit faster and harder.”

 

“Private,” Tanners said to Reed, waving distractedly at Camo’s prone form. “Take him to the cell and set two of your people to watch him. I’ll come get you when we’ve figured out our plan of attack.”

 

* * *

 

Reed and Seraphina carried Camo between them, making for the forge grounds. The open area was the only place in the camp that had enough open space for a new structure, and a cage had been constructed on its southern end.

 

Abbey and Delphin stood to either side of the cage’s door, the former chatting in her normal, incessant way while the latter just stared at the girl blankly. Not exactly the best prison guards, but they were short handed, and Phaedra sat a short distance away, keeping half an eye on the pair as she labored at some last minute repairs.

 

Setting Camo inside the impromptu prison, Reed admired the handiwork. It may have been hastily constructed, but it was solidly built. The large, sliding doors of the expedition truck had been removed and bound with bands of steel, making up three sides, while the last side and the roof were constructed of wooden poles, spares for if any of the tent frames broke during the march. With a concerted effort Camo might be able to break out of it, but it would take time and in his current state Reed figured that wasn’t something they had to worry about.

 

“I think I’m going to go lay down for a minute,” Seraphina said, her shoulders slumped.

 

Reed nodded sympathetically. “Go get some rest, I will stay here and keep an eye on things.”

 

He nodded to Abbey and Delphin then made his way over to Phaedra. He took a seat from next to the forge and moved it several paces away, outside the bubble of heat. Phaedra grunted in acknowledgment of his presence, lifting her work from the forge to a nearby anvil.

 

“Is it too much to ask that these Grimm-begotten idiots do some basic maintenance?” she grumbled, hammering at the bent shape of a spear-head. “Honestly, how did they even bend it this much? Did they try to pry open a Maiden’s legs and ram it up her-”

 

The low curses and swearing flowed from her mouth in a steady stream as she bent the spear-head back into shape before dunking it into a bucket of water. She tossed it onto a pile of fixed blades, then slumped into a seat next to Reed.

 

“Well, whatever they did, they can resharpen it themselves. It doesn’t take a genius to drag a whetstone across a triangle of metal.” She mopped her brow with a corner of her apron, leaving streaks of wet ash across her face, before finally looking around. “Where’s Miss Muscles?”

 

Reed sighed. “A lot happened during the interrogation.”

 

He filled her in, her eyebrow climbing steadily higher until it seemed in danger of disappearing into her hairline.

 

“Wow, Argrom sounds like a real animal. How… appropriate.”

 

“That’s an understatement.” Reed’s brow furrowed in thought. “That’s not what’s bothering me, though. Tanners seemed… off. Like it was important that _he_ was the one responsible for the expedition’s success.”

 

“What did Tamus and Ivory have to say about all this? He’s know the sergeant longer than the rest of us.”

 

“They weren’t there,” Reed replied, frowning at the realization. “Tanners must not have wanted him to be part of it.”

 

“Is he worried they’re traitors too?” Phaedra asked, sounding skeptical.

 

“No,” Reed said with a sigh. “If anything he probably thought it would have been too hard on him. Or he was punishing him for not realizing Camo was a spy.”

 

“It’s not Tamus’s fault that he’s an idiot,” Phaedra replied with a smirk.

 

“I think that Tamus just has a hard time suspecting those he’s close to,” Reed said, shaking his head. “His heart’s in the right place.”

 

“Yeah, but his brain isn’t.”

 

“Phaedra, come on.”

 

“What? You know I’m right.”

 

A flicker of movement drew Reed’s attention back to the cage, but it was just Camo shifting positions. He eyed the man for a moment, but he appeared to still be unconscious.

 

“What are we gonna do with that piece of Grimm waste?” Phaedra asked, following Reed’s gaze.

 

“I don’t know,” said Reed, feeling very tired. “We’re going to need every Guard we have if we want to have a chance of retaking the tower, we were never equipped to handle a prisoner.”

 

“You’re telling me,” Phaedra said with a snort. “Took me two hours to throw that thing together, and did the Forgemaster help? Nooo, he was snoring away in his tent. Prick.”

 

“I’m telling you, that sergeant is too high and mighty for someone of his position! Telling _me_ what to do, as if I’m just some corporal to be ordered around!”

 

Reed glanced in the direction of the booming voice, catching a glimpse of Captains Gerstein and Argentos walking between some nearby tents. Argentos, for her part, seemed to be sleep-walking, eyes closed as she followed several paces behind the man.

 

“I guess the strategy meeting is over,” Reed said, hauling himself to his feet with a groan. “Guess I should go check in and see what our plan is.”

 

“You do that,” Phaedra said, sliding low in her seat and closing her eyes. “I’m gonna take a nap. Between my forge work and you getting your skull knocked in by the corporal I barely got any rest last night. Unlike _some_ people.”

 

“I don’t think being knocked unconscious counts as rest.”

 

Phaedra opened one eye slightly, smirking at him, but otherwise let the comment go unchallenged. Reed turned and walked across the forge grounds in the direction of the cage. Abbey appeared to have talked herself out for once. She stood quietly next to Delphin, leaning casually on her gun-spear.

 

“Good work you two, keep it up,” Reed said, reaching out to pat Delphin on the shoulder as he passed.

 

The scene burst into a cloud of triangular shards, revealing Abbey laid out on the ground and a strange woman standing in Delphin’s place.

 

* * *

 

 

Reed stared in shock at the place where Delphin had been a moment before. In his place stood a short girl with pink and brown hair, split down the middle, and what looked like a leotard under a white jacket and jet black pants. Her appearance was so odd, so unexpected, that Reed froze.

 

The girl gave him a sly smile before snatching his wrist from where it hung in the air. She moved with the speed of a striking snake, legs wrapping around his arm and white boots slamming into a joint-lock against the sides of his neck. It was an advanced grappling technique that Reed had no chance of breaking. In an instant he found himself soaring through the air to land hard on his back next to Abbey’s prone form. Halmvoulge clattered from his hand and the air in his lungs blasted out through clenched teeth.

 

Smirking, the girl stared down at him, bringing a parasol to rest across her shoulders. Her right eye was the same dark brown that Delphin’s had been, but her left was a shocking pink to match her hair.

 

Reed instinctively slammed his semblance on, the action saving his life as the girl pointed her parasol at him and a long, thin blade slid out the tip towards his throat. He jerked his head to the side, the blade sinking into the ground a hair’s-breadth from his neck. He batted the weapon aside with the back of his hand, lashing out with his legs to trip her as he spun to his feet.

 

She _rolled_ through the air with the grace of a gymnast, one foot settling lightly on the ground as she spun in a pirouette and slammed her other boot into his chest. He grabbed her ankle, trying to pull the girl off balance, but the parasol swung around and he was forced to let go and knock the weapon aside, palm striking just below the blade and sending it arcing high over his head.

 

Reed cursed, backpedaling as the girl pushed forward relentlessly. Halmvoulge was lying a dozen paces away where it had fallen when she’d thrown him, and it was all he could do to keep the parasol from skewering him.

 

If he’d had time to think about it he might have laughed at the thought of someone fighting with such a ridiculous weapon. As it was, it was a _very_ real threat. It did have one weakness, though. The blade only made up the very tip of the weapon.

 

As she stabbed forward Reed slipped to the side, feeling the blade part the fabric of his uniform. He grabbed the parasol, pulling it further and slamming a fist into the girl’s gut.

 

Well, he _tried_ to. The girl jumped over the blow, one hand braced on his arm. The hand clenched like a vice on his wrist and she pulled it up as she reversed her grip on the weapon. The hooked handle of the parasol slid down his front, latching around one ankle, and suddenly he was flying through the air, spinning head over heels.

 

He passed through the front of the cage, wooden poles snapping under his back, and slammed against the metal wall. He kicked himself mentally. The joint-lock she’d put him in at the beginning of the fight should have told him she was a grappler, the blade on the end of her parasol was just to give her a mid-range option.

 

He pushed himself to his feet, mouth set in a grimace. The girl sauntered towards him, hips swaying in a way that Reed decided was more dangerous than seductive. He had to get out of the cage, there was no way he could take her in such a confined space.

 

The girl glanced to the side, and for the first time he saw a flicker of annoyance pass across her face. She spun the parasol out in front of her and it popped open, just in time to deflect a large rock soaring through the air.

 

“Who in Hermit-blessed Remnant is this chick?” Phaedra shouted from somewhere out of sight as rocks continued to slam into the parasol.

 

Reed didn’t bother responding, having no answer to the question anyway. He had to get to Halmvoulge, but the strange girl stood just outside the cell, blocking the entrance. He had to get her to move, there was no other way out. Unless…

 

“Phaedra!” He shouted. “Boarbatusk toss, front right corner!”

 

“Good thinking!” She shouted back. The girl stared at him in confusion, eyes widening slightly as a pillar of rock emerged from under the corner of the cage and lifted it high off the ground.

 

Reed was already moving, rolling under the rising cage wall, putting the pillar between him and the girl. His hands found the shaft of Halmvoulge as he got to his feet and he swung, flicking both the green and red switch and sending a jet of flame in a semi-circle around him.

 

The girl was already charging him but she pulled up short, opening her umbrella to shield herself from the arc of fire. Reed pushed the red switch in the opposite direction, shooting a volley of fireballs that was soon accompanied by Phaedra’s continued assault of flying rocks.

 

The parasol dropped low and the girl glowered over its edge at him. He had a moment of satisfaction. The best way to deal with a grappler was always to stay out of their range.

 

“Reed, what’s going on?!”

 

He glanced over to see Tamus and Ivory charging into the forge grounds, weapons in hand. The moment he glanced away the girl moved, running into the cage and hauling Camo over one shoulder.

 

Before he could reorient on her she winked at him. They both disappeared.


End file.
